Persephone
by NorthEasternSpirit
Summary: Lloyd the Umbreon is many things; confident, cunning, smart, good looking, deceptive, and determined. On a mission to teach the legendaries a lesson, he's going to need the help of allies he'll meet along the way. Armed with a demonic sword and brains, he'll meet those as dangerous as himself... and sometimes more so. Can he beat the most powerful Pokemon? Don't hold your breath.
1. Chapter 1

**The Outsider**

He walked through the busy streets, careful not to draw attention to himself. He clutched his injured right arm, though he made sure to keep himself concealed within his tattered cloak. Despite the injury, his eyes were quickly scanning the situation at hand, preparing for any attacks or anything that could cause him trouble. Still, he was pretty badly hurt, and had lost a lot of blood. He knew he needed a place to rest and to fix up his arm. His uninjured arm was prepared to draw a sword if necessary.

Thieves were scattered among the shopkeepers, and the constant bustle of Pokemon was enough to throw anyone off guard. But not him.

He felt someone moving towards him; a Nuzleaf. He anticipated that the Nuzleaf would grab his shoulder. He braced himself for the pain that would follow, and turned around. "What do you want?"

"Give me your money. Whatever you've got. Give it to me!"

"I don't have anything."

"Tsk. Bullshit." The Nuzleaf pulled out a dagger. "Now… one more time or I'll gut you."

"Now there. Watch it."

"What are you gonna do?" The Nuzleaf pushed the dagger against his stomach.

"This." He stomped on the Nuzleaf's foot, and whipped off his cloak. The Umbreon finally revealed his true form. Long hair partially covered his left eye, while he wore a black cloak.

"Son of a…" The Nuzleaf couldn't speak. Lloyd had already whipped out his blade, and it was up against the Nuzleaf's neck.

"Son of a what? You better back off, or you're going to need a head replacement."

"Dammit! Razor Leaf!" The Nuzleaf knocked the sword away, though Lloyd let him. A barrage of leaved flew at Lloyd, but Lloyd deflected them easily.

"My turn." Lloyd rushed at the Nuzleaf, and held out his hand. "Dark Pulse!" A small ball of darkness flew at the Nuzleaf, who was very surprised. Upon contact, it expanded into a large explosion, and once the smoke cleared, all that remained was the unconscious Nuzleaf, bleeding badly. "Tsk. That wasn't very effective," said Lloyd sarcastically. The Umbreon ignored the stares of those around him, and draped his beat up cloak over his shoulder. Through the heat of battle, he had forgotten about the pain in his arm. "I'd better get it checked," he muttered.

The crowd parted around him, though he simply sighed.

"Who is he?" they murmured. "How is he so strong?"

"He looks injured too!"

"Shh! He's turning around!"

Lloyd chuckled, then turned around. "Name's Lloyd. I'd appreciate a place to stay and fix myself up, if you guys don't mind."

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"So, you're Lloyd. Never heard of you before." The barkeeper wiped down a seat. He was a gruff Blaziken.

"Yeah, well, I travel a lot." Lloyd gulped down some water. "You're a fighting type, yet you're working in bar." Lloyd leaned on the table. "What's up with that?"

"I used to be a street fighter. Was risky. Eventually got married and went for a steady job, and here I am."

Lloyd nodded. "I see."

"You don't strike me as necessarily a fighter though." The Blaziken rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Why don't you grab some alcohol? That's just water with a little bit of berry juice."

"I'm only 18 now," pointed out Lloyd. "Besides, alcohol's a poison. Quick way to get your ass kicked."

"True," agreed the Blaziken. "How's your arm now?"

"Using rum burns like a knife, but after dressing it up, it should be better." Lloyd adjusted the bandage a bit, then took another gulp of water.

"So you're just a wanderer?"

"I suppose…" Lloyd paused, then added, "I do have a purpose, though."

The Blaziken poured more water for the Umbreon. "What is that?"

"Purpose? Beat the living shit out of these four rulers," he said, clenching his fists. "Then have them talk to the legendries about this shitty weather."

The Blaziken snorted. "No offense at all, kid, but I've heard about what you've done. You're going to need to get a lot stronger to challenge the rulers."

Lloyd shrugged. "You underestimate me. I've trained myself to outsmart opponents, no matter how dire the situation. I know I can beat them all."

"Whatever," said the Blaziken, wiping the counter some more. "What's your plan then?" The bartender was rather curious.

"First, I'll beat them one by one. Once I do that, I'll have them take me to the gates of the legendries, then I'll beat them and make them fix the weather." Lloyd gulped down another glass of water before standing up. "I'd better be heading up to my room." He handed the bartender some money before putting on his cloak and heading up the stairs.

The Blaziken watched him leave, then shook his head.

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Lloyd chewed on some dried meat once he returned to his room. He polished his sword with a cloth. "Don't want to get you stained," he muttered. Once he was satisfied with its shine, he pulled out his map.

"I'm on the Western region now… the princess… hmm…" He thought about what to do. "I'll beat her first, then cycle through the North, East, and finally South." He chewed thoughtfully. "I'll leave tomorrow morning. Maybe two days tops to reach the capitol of the West," he said to himself. He murmured some thoughts quietly.

Just recently, he had known exactly whom each of the rulers were. But the queen of the setting sun had recently been killed by raids from the South, so her daughter had recently taken over. He'd asked the townsfolk about her; a beautiful, but cunning Espeon. She was born with the ability to read minds, and they all said her psychic powers were astronomical. An easy target, he assumed. She wouldn't be able to do anything to him due to his immunity to psychic based moves. The townsfolk said she was fascinated in power; she'd follow anyone who could beat her in combat. _Should be easy to get her to help too._ He had heard that she was wicked smart too; he was careful not to underestimate her. _Don't get cocky now. You got your arm cut up just against a few Scyther. Don't forget she's armed with the staff of illusions too. She's much more dangerous than anything you've faced before._

 _But I'm dangerous too,_ he thought. _And I've got some unique powers as well._

He was quickly interrupted by some shouting outside, and peered out.

"Where's this Umbreon? You say he's the strongest thing you've ever seen? I'll show you all!" A tough looking Breloom was causing the commotion. He grabbed the innkeeper. "What room is this tough guy in?" he asked.

"R-room 12!"

He threw the innkeeper to the ground. "Hey Umbreon! I'm coming for you! I'll beat your ass to a pulp!" He raised a fist up. "I'm coming for you, you little-"

Lloyd launched himself out the window, sword angled downwards. Bored, Lloyd huffed, "How about some humility, eh?"

The Breloom whipped around, only to be stabbed in the shoulder. "GAAH!" He screamed in pain. A moment later, Lloyd's feet slammed on the Breloom, knocking him down to the ground.

Lloyd pulled his blade out, and flicked it, splattering blood on the ground. "Tsk. If you're tougher than me, you would have noticed all the windows I could have come flying through, and you would have seen me." Lloyd's eyes glowed pink. "Psychic."

The Breloom's screams were cut short as the telekinetic blast hit him, and he was suddenly silent.

Nobody spoke for a good minute, before someone asked, "Is he dead?"

"No," answered Lloyd. "He was drunk. Hopefully, I knocked some sense into him."

"By killing him?"

Lloyd sighed, then quickly got to work repairing the wound he had inflicted. It took him a few minutes and some water, but once he was done, the Breloom looked good enough. "There. He'll be fine when he wakes up. Don't sell him alcohol." Lloyd brushed his hands off. "I suppose that was a little drastic."

"No shit," called out someone from the crowd, and there were a few chuckles after.

Lloyd turned around and grinned. It wasn't your ordinary grin. It was the grin that made everyone there shudder. "True."

In under a minute, he gathered all his stuff, some water, food, and was on his way.

The crowd was still silent as he walked a little to the north. The Blaziken watched with his arms crossed. For a moment the Blaziken was going to say something, then shook his head, and poured himself some rum before gulping it down.

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Lloyd was sweating heavily as he trained. The noon sun beat harshly on him, and he had taken off his robe a few hours ago, revealing his very muscular yet scarred frame. His arms burned from the constant start and stop motion of his blade. Despite its thin frame, it was remarkably sturdy, but the repeated actions caused the burn. That wasn't a bad thing to him; the only thing he liked more than training or planning was an actual battle.

He wiped some sweat from his face, and sat down on a stone. It was ironic how the town was so dry, yet here, there was green grass and lots of trees. He stared at his sword, glad that he hadn't needed to use its true power over the past few days. With a sigh, he quickly stood up and crouched next to a pond. He cupped his hands and splashed his face, then grabbed his cloak and shirt and began washing it in the water.

He decided to just relax until his clothes dried, and sat in the shade underneath a tree. He eyed the verdant mountains in the distance, then stretched. He held hilt of his sword. _Over here, the legendries are controlling the weather nicely. Do I really need to defeat them…? No, don't lose resolve. It's still their fault._ He tightened his grip, and clenched his teeth. _Don't ever forget or forgive those who wrong you._

Two days had passed since he had left the town. Yesterday, he had travelled throughout the day and bought some bedding which he packed away, and had slept hidden under a rocky outcropping. While he was eager to challenge the princess, he knew that training would prepare him better for whatever the Espeon could throw at him.

He sat there in the shade until the sun moved to the point where he was no longer in the shade, and pulled himself to his feet. His black cloak would absorb the sun, so he just wore his tattered outer one and put it in his bag. Lloyd became lost in his thoughts as he headed to the capitol. _Plan ahead… but be ready to adapt._ This was the motto his master had trained him with, and Lloyd fully embraced the concept of keeping the enemy right where you wanted them. The battle was physical, true, but Lloyd believed that more than half the fight was mental. You know your enemies' next move, you've won. _So this Espeon can read minds… smart, mind-reading, illusion casting… hmm…_ A few minutes later, Lloyd had already come up with a rough plan of how to challenge her. Still, he needed to learn her moveset and get an idea of her personality in order to ensure victory.

Lloyd wasn't sure how long he was walking, but it must have been awhile, because before he knew it, the sun was setting. Lloyd paused, then smiled. _Nighttime… my element…_ He continued to walk along the road to the city, which was surprisingly deserted. Normally, he'd try to conceal his face, but Lloyd was relatively relaxed right now; moreso than he probably should have been, but with both the cover of night and the lack of Pokemon using the road, this was the time for him to be lax. Eventually, the lights of the capitol cut through the night sky. Lloyd walked off the road to the top of a small knoll on the side and marveled the view. "Impressive," he conceded. A lone tower stood out among the rest; at its top was a large ball of light that was a beacon in the night sky.

He got closer to the point where he could make out the finer details of the city. There was a checkpoint at each of the entrances, and he could see what looked like metal bars spanning vertically across the entrances. It opened and closed whenever someone passed through. Shamefully, he realized he hadn't thought of a way to get into the city without getting lost or caught. "Wasn't prepared for this," he muttered under his breath, but quickly began thinking of a plan. _How to get inside without causing commotion…_ He looked around, then grinned. "That'll work fine." He tucked his sword into its sheathe, and locked it in. This plan wouldn't involve killing or anything, just maybe a few whacks on the head.

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It turned out, that wasn't even necessary. A carriage drawn by Ponytas had a group of drunk, middle-aged Pokemon in it. Lloyd would have liked to teach them something about alcoholism, but they were his ride into the city. He hopped in without any trouble, since three of the four were unconscious while the other was just laughing.

He doubted they even noticed him, and the gatekeepers clearly thought they were harmless enough to pass through(Lloyd acted asleep). The moment they turned around a corner, Lloyd hopped out and looked around. Large buildings surrounded him. "Tsk, what a pain. Finding the tower is going to be a pain in the ass." He tucked his sword under his cloak and pulled his hood up to cover his face.

The city was surprisingly clean compared to the town, but there was still the constant buzz of voices. He watched the situation around him as he walked through the streets. The night air was surprisingly cool, and he felt comfortable. The Pokemon here were much more relaxed and organized, and the business was less chaotic. Many of them wore cloaks, and he brushed against them, not worried about what they were doing. Once or twice, he thought that they would look at him, but he kept his face concealed. He padded through the streets, taking in the atmosphere. Pokemon were all smiling, despite their apparent thinness. _Even here, there must not be too much food. They should be taken better care of. But their smiles._

"Excuse me sir, would you like to buy an apple?"

Next to him, a young Sentret tugged on his cloak. Lloyd couldn't resist smiling. He reached into his pocket, and handed the young normal-type some coins. "Is this enough?"

"This… this is a lot of money!" He looked up, eyes wide. "Are you sure?!"

Lloyd nodded. "Go ahead. I've got enough to be well off."

The Sentret bowed a little before running off through the streets. Lloyd crossed his arms and watched as he ran off. He was about to continue walking when he heard a feminine giggle.

"That's funny. You certainly don't seem like the giving type, Umbreon."

Lloyd froze. Nobody would ever sneak up on him. He looked his left, where a cloaked figure was silhouetted against the moon. Lloyd rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, but didn't draw it. "Huh. Strange that a princess is all the way out here at this hour."

Her pronged tail twitched. "Not bad," she conceded. He still couldn't make out her face, but he had seen enough to recognize an Espeon when he saw one, due to the rareness of eons, especially in the west. Well, he hadn't actually seen one, but he had read up on them.

"You seem uncomfortable princess. Didn't expect me to recognize you, did you?"

Her tail twitched a little more. She was clearly annoyed. "I didn't. But you didn't notice me until just now either, did you?"

He nodded slightly. "True."

"I don't think that it's really worth hiding my name from you, Umbreon, since you'll probably learn from my people. I'm Princess Sharl. You?"

"Lloyd." He bowed, half mockingly. "I've heard you're no more than 17 years old. I hope you know what you're doing."

The cloaked Espeon didn't move. She didn't answer his question. "You've got an awful lot of confidence for somebody who's lost in my city. I've been watching you wandering aimlessly."

He shrugged. "I'm in no hurry, _princess_."

The Espeon laughed. "You… this confidence… it's funny."

Lloyd chuckled. "You've got that condescending attitude most royalty has as well. It's funny." He pointed his sheathed sword at her, and he smiled at her wickedly. "You've supposedly never lost in battle before. Is this true?"

She crossed her arms. "So you've done some research. I'm impressed. Yes, I've never lost in combat before." With a dangerous edge to her voice, she added, "I've defeated countless dark types like yourself."

"Well, I've never lost either." He pointed his sword to the ground.

She reached into her cloak and pulled out a long rod; her staff. "Is that a challenge I hear, _Lloyd_?"

"No, your majesty. I don't intend to challenge you with the moonlight shining on us."

The Espeon turned around, then her voice hardened. "You got lucky, this time," she said.

 _She caught me off guard, but I've surprised her a few times too._ "Why are you following me?" he asked.

She turned around. "You probably know about my mind reading powers, so I'll just say I picked up some interesting thoughts."

Lloyd heard it in her voice, and instantly picked out the truth. "I see. Well, you'd better be heading back to your castle princess Sharl."

The Espeon nodded, then in a moment, she vanished. _So that confirms it._ This meeting had given him two important pieces of knowledge, as well as an insight into her personality. _How fortunate._ But he also knew that she had gained some insight on him. He looked to his right, and saw some movement in the shadows. As he didn't want to draw attention to himself, he tucked his sword back in his cloak, and casually said, "See you soon, princess. I hope you're as strong as you say."

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He slept well that night. All that training meant that he needed some sleep, and he didn't intend to starve himself that way. His dreams were quite peaceful; he woke up very well rested. Umbreons typically slept during the day, but he knew that the daytime was typically more productive. Once he woke up, he stretched and did some pushups and crunches to prepare himself for the battle with the Espeon. They had a very interesting conversation last night; not just a spoken one. He had felt that the meeting had helped him finalize his plan for defeating the Espeon.

He left the inn in the late morning; he ate some dried meat and berries as he walked down the streets. He decided not to put up his hood; there wasn't a real need to conceal himself, especially when his opponent knew he was coming to visit her. After all, she had given him directions to where she was waiting.

 _"Just head to the center of the city. You'll see the setting sun jewel."_

"Easier said than done," he muttered. Walls and buildings sometimes blocked his view, but by noon, he reached the base of the tower. Large doors swung open as he approached. Inside, the floor was a smooth cold marble. Mobs rushed around, while the hum of voices filled the large hall.

"Who are you?" asked one Pokemon. He assumed they worked for princess Sharl, but chose not to respond.

"An Umbreon? Could he part of the royal family?"

Lloyd took off his outer cloak, and said, "I'm scheduled to meet the princess. Where is she?"

"I'm here." She gracefully walked down the stairs, wearing a pure (albeit revealing) white dress. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lloyd." For the first time, he saw her. She was exceptionally beautiful; arguably one of the prettiest Pokemon he had ever seen. Her eyes were a beautiful brown, but he recognized the cunning glint he'd see in the mirror each night. Her figure was excellent, though he supposed that the dress helped; it bared her midriff and exposed a fair amount of cleavage. Even around the legs, it was transparent.

"Huh. Who would have thought someone who would wear a nondescript cloak would dress like that."

"My friends, can you take his stuff to the sleeping quarters. That sword's okay. Come on, let's walk through the garden. There's a lot I've got to talk to you about."

She held his hand and led him outside the tower. They walked through a garden. Finally, Lloyd said, "Nice try, princess."

"Oh, so you picked up on it." She sighed. "You're good." She released her grip.

"I know."

"So I suppose you know the limitations of my mind reading now."

"Yeah. Dark types cannot be read unless you're touching, or unless they open up their mind to you."

She winked. "Impressive yet again."

Lloyd shrugged. "Similar to you. You just made a few mistakes last night when talking to me. I felt you touching my arm last night when I talked to your illusion. I know I must have brushed against you last night in the crowd, and you picked up my thinking of you."

"Huh." She seemed a little disgruntled at that fact compared to the others. "I'll admit, I didn't expect you to respond to my telepathy either." With a shrug, she added, "You did reveal that you know Psychic in order to respond back to me though."

"So did you."

"That's a given," she pointed out. "Very few psychic-types don't know Psychic."

The two of them stared at each other intensely as they stood off, then Lloyd sighed. "You're right."

She smiled. "I'm rarely wrong." She walked a little bit ahead. "So you want to challenge me. You said that a lot to me."

"Yeah."

"What are the conditions you want to fight me by?"

"I need you alive, and I'll probably better serve you alive as well. We'll battle until knockout."

The Espeon frowned. "I don't like knockout battles. I've only done battles to the death mostly. Knockouts are boring. Especially against a foe like you."

He shrugged. "I'd love to fight you all out, but you need to hear our conditions for victory."

"Hmph."

He continued. "If I win, you'll take me to the gates of the legendries."

"Why is that?" she asked.

"You know only the four rulers can open the gates. You're currently one of them."

"I get you're strong; I can feel it coming off of you. But if you want to communicate with them, you're insane."

"Maybe. But you'll follow me to get the other three to join me."

"That is a pretty steep requirement."

"You can name yours."

She looked at him thoughtfully, then said, "If I win…" She telepathically sent her message to Lloyd, who nodded.

"That's fair to me."

"Really? Perhaps I should make it more severe…"

"Go ahead. I'm not going to lose," he said nonchalantly.

"You go on believing that," she shrugged. "We'll have our match tomorrow morning, when the moon and sun are neutral."

"Understood. Until then…"

"You'll stay here with me as a guest of honor. Don't want you to get injured."

"Alright then."

"Let's just enjoy the garden." She took a deep breath, and Lloyd copied her. "Smells nice doesn't it?"

"It does," he admitted. "It's very sweet."

A shadow crossed her face, and she seemed to get sad suddenly. "It's still not enough to feed the people. This garden produces a good amount of fruits normally, but now…" She sighed.

Lloyd was mildly surprised. Sadness didn't fit in with the rest of her personality. "That's what I hope to fix. Fix the food problem; a little more rain and more successful harvests."

"One can hope." She shook her head, as if to forget about it. "So I already know you're a thinker, like me. We always plan ahead. You've beat me in planning a few times now… how did you learn?"

Lloyd didn't feel like telling her too much yet, so he simply said, "I trained with a master swordsman way in the West. Years of training have taught me to plan very far ahead."

"Huh, you sound like you don't trust me enough," she commented. "Fair enough."

"You?"

"I studied on my own in order to become strong enough to defend our land from enemies. I trained hard to mentally beat opponents." She added, "I wore this 'dress' as a trick to distract you."

"Why tell me that then?" He did have to admit, it was rather distracting.

"Well, it's not something you can choose not to be distracted by. It's more biological than anything."

"Huh. That's sneaky."

"And effective. I saw you look at my boobs just now."

Lloyd sighed, before admitting, "Yeah." That was a defeat for him right there; no doubt she'd wear that dress tomorrow during their match just to distract him. "I heard your mother recently passed away. How are you handling it?"

She shrugged. "My mother always fought alongside the people. The Southern region has been attacking a lot recently, so while it was unexpected, I was prepared. She rarely spent time with me though. My father passed away shortly after I was born. I'm prepared to do what's best for my people."

"At least you knew one of your parents," he said, a little enviously. "I never knew any of my parents."

The Espeon's eyes softened. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, well…"

A long silence followed, and both of them sat down on the soft grass. Neither of them spoke as they watched the birds flap across the sky for the remainder of the day.

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There wasn't a whole lot of talking as they ate. There was good food, but neither of them took much. Thankfully, Sharl had taken off that ridiculous dress and put on a similarly colored yet infinitely more conservative one.

 _It's natural,_ reasoned. _You never eat too much before a battle_. Sharl probably knew it too, since she didn't take any meat and just nibbled on some berries. Normally, Lloyd would be cautious about eating most foods, especially those given from an opponent, but it was clear the Espeon was just like him, wanting a tough opponent.

Some members of her council ate with them, and they were a lot more outspoken. He heard them discussing strategies for food and war, and it was all relatively interesting; Lloyd just didn't think much of what they said.

"Princess Sharl, how many should we have work the fields?"

The Espeon thought about it, then said, "What's our current population?"

"About 2000."

"Put about 400 on harvesting food." She looked at her plate guiltily. "We don't really need all this food." The council, being mostly large males, ate a lot of food, and Sharl looked at them uncomfortably.

Lloyd looked at his plate, which didn't have much food to start with, and ate one last berry before standing up. "I'm finished."

Some attendants took the food out of his way, and he grabbed his cloak and walked up the stairway. He quickly heard some footsteps behind him. Sharl was following him, and he turned around. "Don't you have important matters to discuss?"

"Yes, but as the ruler, it's for me to take a guest to his room." Glancing backwards, she added, "They are reliable."

"So how hard has the famine hit here?"

She looked away uncomfortably. "We're getting water, but our plants just aren't producing. They grow, but most of it just isn't edible. Even our best grass-types can't really do anything."

"I see. Must be the legendries not doing their jobs."

The Espeon didn't respond; it was clear she was considering the possibility.

"Ironic isn't it that an outsider like me is the one who you can talk easiest too, isn't it?"

Sharl shrugged. "As a ruler, I can't afford to be too carefree. Battling is so much easier than running a nation. Most of the others don't understand all the challenges. You of all Pokemon shouldn't be able to understand. But you do."

"I know how my mind works, and you think very similarly to me. If I was suddenly thrown as ruler during these times, I'd be stressed too."

"Understandable," she admitted. "But my best friend isn't here right now. That's why I'm trying to make casual conversation with you."

Lloyd decided not to push, and said, "Is that so?"

"Yeah. Here, this is your room." She pushed open a door, revealing a bed with Lloyd's belongings on it. His sheathed blade rested atop his pack.

"Thanks," he said with a nod.

The Espeon smiled at him, before saying, "The hot springs are in the garden. Feel free to use it whenever."

"Thanks."

She closed the door to his room, and Lloyd listened to for her nonexistent footsteps. _Graceful and silent… sexy but deadly. Huh… I haven't even battled her yet and she's earned my respect._ The more he thought about her, the more he realized that the Espeon was on his side; he'd won her over easily because she was like him, bored. There was nothing better than a good fight, and he knew that she felt the same way.

His master had once said that the strong have a certain gravity that draws the powerful to them, so he really shouldn't have been surprised that he had met her. He had not expected her to be so much like him though. A princess and an outsider; who knew? _Enough admiration; tomorrow, you'll still need to impale her with that sword._ Lloyd knew he was accurate enough not to hit any organs, and Dark Pulse, while relatively damaging physically, did more damage to the opponent mentally, which was a big benefit in KO matches.

He grabbed a towel that had been left on the bed for him, and slowly made his way down to the hot springs. His entire body was feeling tired, and the hot spring sounded very nice. Public hot springs always made him uncomfortable; actually, water in general made him uncomfortable. You never knew when something could pop up from under it. And the closest to death he had ever been was water-related.

But it certainly sounded good. He slowly undressed behind a large rock and laid his towel on the ground. He slowly walked in, ears ready to pick up any distinct noises from the slight bubbling. But nothing caught his attention. He peered down into the clear water, and didn't see anything suspicious. He slowly lowered himself in.

"That's twice now, Lloyd. You'd probably pay for it if I wasn't your ally."

"Huh." He turned around. "Came to see the show?"

Sharl had a towel wrapped around her. "Maybe. You're pretty well built," she complimented.

"You've got a nice body, too."

The Espeon smiled at him as she unwrapped the towel, but Lloyd held her gaze. "You've got a stronger mind than I expected. Didn't even look down this time, and I'm completely naked too." She slid in next to him. "The water does feel nice, doesn't it?"

"Really does."

She moved closer to him, and he felt her breasts press against his body. He took a deep breath. "Trying to distract me now?"

She was silent, before saying, "I don't believe it. You don't have any perverted thoughts… are you gay?"

"No."

She shook her head. "You really are determined. Right now, you're trying to think of a way to extract more information from me." She paused. "Why don't you let yourself enjoy this? You're in a hot spring with a young, attractive princess." She pressed harder against him, and he felt her nipples this time.

Slowly, he looked up to the night sky, and wrapped his right arm around her. "Calm down," he said. "Why are you being so lewd? This isn't optimal for planning."

"It's not," she conceded. "But what if this was just a plan to distract you?"

"I doubt that," he argued. "Really, what's up with you?"

She sighed. "Fine. I've just never been attracted to males. Or females for that matter. But you… your similar way of thinking… and your ability to dissect my thoughts… that's impressive. And watching you undress… that was nice."

"So you're horny. Huh." He thought back to what he knew previously about her. _She's attracted to power._ "I'll warn you that no part of you should touch below my waist."

"I know." She wrapped her arms around him. "It's just nice to have someone I can trust right now."

"Really? You shouldn't trust me."

"But I do."

"That's illogical, and you know that."

"I know."

He tightened his arm around her. "I guess that's fine." They both looked up at the stars now. "You're lonely, aren't you?"

"I could have told myself that," she said. "You're lonely too, and you know it."

They lay in the spring, then Lloyd asked, "What's a friend? I've never had one before."

"A friend is someone who you can trust. Trust is dangerous, but… it's a good feeling."

Lloyd ran his fingers through her hair. "Are we friends?"

"That's up to you." She stood up, and pulled herself out of the spring. She began drying herself off. "We'd better get to bed. We wouldn't want to fight each other in less than top shape."

"Sharl…" He dried off next to her, though they didn't look at one another. "Tomorrow, we owe it to each other to go all out. As friends, that's the least we can do."

All dressed now, she sighed. "I thought that was a given. Well then, let's get ready."

"Tsk. Don't need to tell me that."

 **Meh, I'll probably work on this from time to time:P Long chapter that I hope you find interesting. This was just an idea I came up with one night, and I just kept writing. Mirrors is still my primary story; no worries.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Princess**

Lloyd rubbed his eyes as he awoke. Immediately, his mind started to make out his surroundings. No light was shining in through the window, so sunrise hadn't happened yet. Honestly, it would have been easy to poison princess Sharl if he chose with toxic. Magic Bounce wouldn't do anything if he used toxic on needles then poisoned her. He had them prepared already. But why would he do that? She trusted him to battle her at full power, and he wanted to taste her strength as well. He knew enough about Espeons to know that they slept through almost the entire night normally, and based on the darkness, it was still a good hour and a half before the sun would rise.

He got up and stretched, then did some training exercises before practicing some sword moves. _This one will go right through her, just above her stomach. No organ damage, clean knockout._ One stab, a clean finisher. His demon blade Persephone would do the rest. Persephone had been given to him by his master six years ago when he had started his training. Its obsidian blade was infused with diamonds, allowing it to pierce through flesh easily. Of course it had its horrifying other powers…

He put on his cloak and went down the stairs, his blade in hand. One of the maids offered him some water, which he took with a nod. He gave the empty glass back to her then walked out to the center of the garden. The sun looked a lot closer to rising now, so he sat down and waited for the Espeon. _Become her mind… what will she think when she first sees me?_ He closed his eyes. _She's sexually attracted to me, based on her behavior._ _Therefore, I know she will wear that distracting dress again. It's all part of her plan. Prey on my male instincts._ "Clever… but I'm prepared for her."

Sharl was sneaky and graceful, and just as smart as him. He knew that he biologically was stronger and faster than her, but her psychic powers were superior to his, and she was much more graceful. He hated to admit it, but she was able to sneak up on him much too easily. He needed to be more graceful and pick her up easier. There was no doubt that she was the smartest and strongest he'd faced so far. One mistake could be the end of him; the more he thought about it, the princess' punishment if he lost was pretty dismal.

"Heh, you looked sad just now."

 _Fuck… she snuck up on me again._ "Good morning, princess Sharl. Rather early for a sun Pokemon, isn't it?"

She shrugged. "A little. But I can still beat you here and now." She held out her staff, which began glowing. "Alright, let's go!"

He held out a hand, and she paused. "What's the problem?"

 _Gotcha._ "It's clear you're pumped up right now, wanting to beat me so badly. I hope you don't make a mistake."

The Espeon chuckled. "The moon is cool, while the sun is fiery. I'll burn you in that case!"

Lloyd pulled out Persephone. "Well, let's start shall we?" The moment he finished, a bright flash of light erupted from her staff.

Lloyd immediately jumped back. _Shit… she planned it._ Lloyd knew only he was blinded, since Espeons were typically immune to light flashes. _I need to disappear…_ He closed his eyes. _I'll have to reveal one of my tricks now. Vanish into the night._ When Lloyd opened his eyes, the Espeon was standing there, looking around.

"Tsk. You sure got out of the way quick. That light could have caused damage, know what I'm saying. I know you're around here, Lloyd."

Lloyd stood still. Sharl was still staring right through him. Persephone had some magic powers, and one of them was the ability to hide oneself in the shadows, provided the wielder stood still. _But in the direct sunlight…_ The Espeon quickly dashed behind some bushes, and Lloyd reappeared. _Clear mind… let's track her down._ Lloyd stealthily followed where she had vanished into the brush. A large number of trees made it hard to follow where she had gone, but Lloyd was a skilled tracker and found her eventually.

Lloyd looked to the sky cautiously. Once the sun came up, he'd be at a big disadvantage. It would be rising soon, no doubt. Lloyd sighed, and a moment later, a blast of energy came flying towards him. He barely moved out of the way in time.

"What a mistake," said the Espeon. "A sigh? Really?"

"Oops," he said, raising his blade. "That was a big mistake."

"Hmph. Fight me now!" She held up her staff, and a blast of light emerged from it. Lloyd blocked it with his sword, Persephone absorbing the light. Once the light vanished, Lloyd was launched back by a kick.

He pulled himself to his feet, and spat out some gravel. "Not bad," he said, wiping some blood from his cheek.

"Why thank you!"

The light wasn't meant to hurt him, though a dark type like him probably could feel some pain from it. It was designed to blind him. Not a moment later did another flash erupt from her. Gritting his teeth, he ran into it, feeling the burn of the attack against his skin. He thrusted his sword straight towards the center of the light, and felt it connect with something, most likely her staff, and felt satisfaction as she was pushed back in surprise. "Gotcha." _As I anticipated._

"Not bad," she admitted. "I thought you'd try jump back, not into my attack. It looks like you've taken some damage though."

"I've got you too."

"I don't see any blood on me," she commented.

 _So you think._ "You're assuming that. And assuming is dangerous."

"Tsk, you're wasting time taking. Look, the sun is coming up now."

Lloyd tightened his fist. "So be it. You'll need all the help you can get."

She chuckled. "Tough talk. Don't forget the consequence if you lose, hehe."

"No need to worry, I've got this one." He held out his hand. "Dark Pulse!"

The little sphere of darkness flew at the Espeon, who jumped out of the way at an unnatural speed. "Predictable. I-" Lloyd landed a punch to the stomach as she was partially blinded by the explosion. _Heh, I…_ "Too late," she said, pulling herself up. Lloyd's entire body was shaking as he stared into her eyes. "That punch hurt, but I think it was worth it to distract you."

 _How…_ "How did you do that?"

"How do you feel about me? It's simple. You already find me attractive. A simple Attract will totally throw off your thinking. Remember how we talked about love being illogical? It sure is, and your decision making will be messed up."

He couldn't move. _She's so beautiful… how can I ever hurt her…? She's perfection…_ Lloyd completely lost his focus. He couldn't think about anything but her. He didn't move as she kicked his feet from under him, causing him to fall forward. _Anything for you… Sharl…_ Deep within him, a voice screamed to wake up out of it, but he couldn't.

The Espeon planted a foot on his head. "I thought you'd be more interesting than this," she said disdainfully. Then she blinked, as if something was wrong. "I…" She paused. "Hang on…" She moved her foot, then held her palms to his skull. Then she jumped back. "You…" She looked to her right arm. "A poison needle…"

 _Poison needle…_ That was just enough for the Umbreon to reawaken, if only slightly. "Not one, but two. Maybe a proper dress that covered your midriff would have helped," She looked at her stomach, an inch right of her navel. She pulled it out, wincing slightly. Then she fell to her knees.

"Two toxic needles…" She flinched. "I didn't expect that."

Lloyd's mind reverted. "You've got nice legs, you know."

She was unable to pull herself back up. "Two toxic needles…"

"Two times the speed," he murmured, still dreamily staring at her. "Don't worry… it won't kill. Wouldn't ever kill you…"

"But it would still put me down…" She looked at him, respect in her eyes. "You were ahead of me all the way. When did you land them?" She pulled out a Red Flute from within her staff, and played it.

Lloyd instantly snapped out of it. "Eh? I… oh, so I did beat you. I remember… hitting you, then… then I fell in love, and…"

"Answer me! When did you poison me?" she asked hastily.

"When… when I jumped into your light attack, I threw it before trying to slash you. And I held it between my fingers when I punched you."

"I see… So it's true… you did have me on the ropes. I thought Attract would be what would finish you, what would immobilize you. But… your poison. That's… cunning…" Then she shook her head. "I should have finished you right there. I already feel the poison eating away at me."

Lloyd blinked. Her curiosity had save him, and she had actually cured him of attract. _No more messing around! I'll beat you! Fair and square!_

"I'll beat you Lloyd, even though you've poisoned me!"

Lloyd pulled out a vial from his cloak, and tossed it to her. "You negated your attract, you take this antidote."

She shook her head, and tossed it back. "I'll beat you even with this disadvantage! I don't need your help!"

He flipped it back to her. "You drink it or I won't fight you."

She sighed. "Fine, I'll drink the damn antidote." She threw the empty vial back to him, and he tucked it away. "Alright, come at me with your best now! We're even!"

 _Alright, reset. So no more!_ "Eat this!" He hurled a dark pulse.

Sharl launched a blast of light, and a large explosion occurred when they connected. Lloyd took a deep breath. _Let's go. Clear your mind… move with the shadows._ The instant he saw movement, he launched himself towards it with speed that resembled a Jolteon. He saw the princess' eyes open wide; she barely had time to block the attack, though she was only launched into the air. She landed gracefully, but he knew he had overpowered her just now. She was panting, likely due to the poison from earlier. "That was quick," she said. "My turn."

A large ball of light formed at the tip of her staff, and in an instant, she whipped her staff, causing it to fly at him. Lloyd absorbed it with his sword and launched a Dark Pulse at her. She jumped out of the way; Lloyd assumed that she was getting some power from the rising sun. She quickly raised her staff, and brought it down, hitting his blade hard. Lloyd immediately saw she was using both arms in a heavy strike. _Mistake, princess!_ With his greater physical strength, he absorbed the shock with his right arm and launched a nerve strike towards her sternum. Once he felt it connect, he recoiled his arm and pushed her backwards. She fell on her butt, dropping her staff. "What… what was that?"

Lloyd studied his hand. "A nerve strike. Not a move, obviously."

She clutched her chest. "I… what will happen now? I… I don't feel right…"

He stood over her. "Feel that buzzing all throughout your body? You will have a hard time moving when I hit you like that." He chuckled. "But you-"

He leaped back in surprise as she jumped to her feet and launched an attack at him.

"I guess it wears off quickly, then."

 _Huh, she recovered from that quick. I thought I'd be able to finish her there. But it's okay. Soon…_ The Espeon launched a barrage of blasts in succession, Lloyd nimbly dodging them.

Then once misstep happened. He ever so slightly lost his balance. _Shit, I-_ He looked at the Espeon, whose eyes shined dangerously.

"Gotcha. Dazzling Gleam!"

The burning light surrounded him before he could even react. It singed his skin more than any fire attack would, though the damage wasn't physically. He couldn't breathe as the agonizing light raged through him. _Think quick… this is it if you pass out here! What…_ "Dark Pulse!"

Immediately, an explosion occurred, launching Lloyd away from the light. The pain from the blast was far less than the super-effective attack. He rolled on the ground a little bit before stopping. He felt his arm sting, and realized he must have reinjured it. _Shit…_ Lloyd knew he was in trouble; nobody he had faced had ever pushed him this far. It was actually a satisfying feeling. _Hehe… this pain… it's… great! Finally a worthy opponent!_ By now, the sun was fully up; Lloyd didn't even notice. _Persephone… I'm not going to lose this!_

The Espeon walked over near him. "You don't look too good," she teased. "I guess you're the best around though. I'm just better."

Lloyd laughed, then spat out some blood. "Just getting started. I knew you were going to be a tough opponent, so I had to take a few hits in order to get into your mind."

She blinked. "What?"

"By taking some hit from you, I've leaned your fighting style. Diversions and grace. Your moves are Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, Attract, and Calm Mind. I've seen you boosting yourself between Dazzling Gleams. But me, you know three of my moves. I've already won. I know your fighting style, and your moves." He grinned, thinking about every move she had made. Her sneakiness, her nimbleness, and her strategy. "I'm in your brain. Not only that, but my sword feeds off danger and blood. The more damage I've taken and given, the stronger and quicker I get."

"I've got the sun though! Dazzling Gleam!"

Lloyd cut his hand a little bit. _Drink up, Persephone._ His demon blade glowed an eerie purple, and Lloyd felt power surge through him. He stepped back into the shadow of a tree, easily sidestepping the attack, and launched himself at her at top speed. "Double Team."

The illusionary copies of himself ran at her in sync, and the Espeon narrowed her eyes. "So that's your last move." She blasted away the copies, but Lloyd knew she'd leave the center one, the actual him, for last. _You're mine now!_

She realized he was coming too quickly, and moved to try block his attack, but Lloyd overpowered her. He launched a flurry of slashes, radiating dark energy. The Espeon was matching his attacks, but she was being slowly pushed back. "Come on! Give me more!"

"I… this… this is fun…" A smile crossed both their faces as they blocked each other's attacks. He had never felt happier though. It turned out that he hadn't completely got inside her mind, since she was able to block most of his attacks. But she was unable to come close to hitting him too. It was a complete stalemate… and Lloyd loved it. He was loving every moment of this challenge, this girl who could match him move for move.

But Lloyd felt it. It was exhilarating… yet he wouldn't lose. He couldn't lose to her. Not to her of all Pokemon.

The Espeon was losing; he was quicker and stronger and at close-range combat. That had been his original strategy; keep constant pressure on her and don't give her separation.

"I can't let you win!" she panted. She jumped back quickly and began glowing pink. "This is it! Dazzling Gleam!" Then she collapsed. She was breathing hard. "Wh-what… I… no…"

Lloyd knew what it was. "When I hit you, it caused some nerve damage, which I can fix. You were able to react out of it, but you've pushed your body hard enough to the point where the damage is felt again."

"I, I can't! I won't lose!"

Lloyd held his sword to her neck. "I've won. I got you."

She sighed, then the Espeon looked up at him, admiration in her eyes. "You really are impressive. That nerve strike… you knew. It was a safety net. The poison… it was a plan. You really did plan it out all along."

"So… you admit defeat?"

She sighed, then said, "I don't have much choice. You've got me."

Lloyd smiled. "Obviously." He gently rubbed where he had hit her with the nerve strike, and she stood up once he undid it.

"Thanks." All the hostility and rivalry they had during their battle had vanished. "Lloyd… I'll join you in your quest then. That was part of our deal, and I shall honor it."

He nodded. "Yeah, definitely." _One down, three to go._

"However, we're both rather beat… I say that we rest up the next few days. You… whoa there, careful."

Lloyd staggered a little bit; now his left arm was stinging badly, and he knew he'd lost a lot of blood. "I'm alright…"

The Espeon sighed. "Come one, let's get you back. I'll attend to your wounds personally." Teasingly, she added, "You're a lot more physically damaged than me right now."

"Don't tempt me, I can beat you again."

"I don't doubt that," but Lloyd couldn't tell whether she was sarcastic or not.

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"You know… I know the council probably is unhappy with me since I'm missing a meeting and am going to be leaving… but I feel happier with you." The princess was treating his wounds on his bed. Sharl had switched dresses yet again to her conservative one. She dabbed at his arm with a towel. Earlier, she had stitched it up.

"Yeah, well… it is to help your people. The plants aren't growing, so you've got to do something."

"You're right, Lloyd." She dipped the towel in some water, then continued to clean his arm. "I want to go with you. But I hope my people will be alright." She lay upon the bed next to him. "How is your face? There's a little cut."

"It's alright. I've been through worse."

"You know… losing. It's a strange feeling."

They looked up at the ceiling. A cool breeze came through the window, and it was just past noon now. Across the green fields, Lloyd could see the distant mountains where he would travel next. That was the edge of Sharl's rule. "What's strange about it?"

"Just… happiness. Knowing I've got room to improve. Now I've got a goal, and it's to beat you."

"That's interesting. I suppose losing does motivate you." Lloyd shrugged. "You were the most powerful Pokemon I've face so far, so thanks."

"Thank you as well." Then she did something completely out of character for somebody of her intellect. She kissed him on the cheek.

He turned to her, at a loss for words. "I… eh… uh…" For the first time, he had been caught off guard. Not just surprised; this was beyond surprise. The princess rubbing her breasts against him was natural; just biological desires. But kisses… and therefore, affection… those were different. Love was not logical.

"So apparently even the ultimate assassin can be caught off guard, huh. Hehe."

"It's not funny! I wasn't caught off guard! I was…" Lloyd took a deep breath. _Don't panic._ "I was merely surprised that a princess would do something so indecent."

The Espeon giggled. "I've never flirted much before. How am I doing?"

 _Huh. So she can be cute._ "You're making me uncomfortable."

"So I guess it's a good strategy if we even battle again."

"Now I know what you'll try to pull next time."

"Hehe." She winked at him. "I hope you know that I don't open up to others often. You're now my second best friend."

"Who's your best friend?" Lloyd's mind started working. _What if her friend is as powerful as her?_

The Espeon didn't respond, and Lloyd shrugged. He had an inkling of who it could be.

"Your friend must be smart for you to trust her."

"She is smart. You'll meet her soon."

"Huh, I definitely will. You don't need to tell me who she is."

She smiled. "So you do know."

"Of course." He looked back at the ceiling. "Just who do you think I am?"

The next breeze was very cold; it came directly from those Northern mountains. "I don't know." Still staring at the ceiling, she added, "Who are you?"

"The most cunning Pokemon you'll ever meet."

"No, stop joking." She elbowed him lightly in the ribs. "Just tell me a little bit about yourself."

Lloyd knew it wasn't wise to tell a possible enemy his past, but he figured he could trust Sharl enough… or maybe just a bit. "Fine, I'm swordsman who was trained in the far West. My parents were killed when I was seven. Since then, I trained with an expert swordsman to challenge the legendries in order to avenge them." Lloyd felt that was enough and didn't say anything.

"And…?"

He turned to her. "What do you want me to say?"

"You know…" She shrugged. "I guess that's good enough."

Lloyd was tempted to add a few more things, but decided against it. "There's not too much else to talk about."

"I'm sure," she scoffed. "But if you're not comfortable, then it's okay," she added a little softer. "I'm just happy I got to meet someone like you

"Me too," he admitted. "Definitely."

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Not long after, Sharl stood up and said that she needed to check up on the town.

"What for?"

"They're my people. I envy your relaxed life," she said before leaving.

Lloyd continued to lie down on the bed. He held his hand up to the ceiling, surrounding it in a miniature dark pulse. He had not been feeling himself recently; he hadn't been as sharp in his battle with the Espeon, and even afterwards… letting her treat his wounds… that was risky.

But even though he didn't want to admit it… he had trusted her. He felt it; he knew she wouldn't hurt him. Whether she intended to challenge him later or some other reason, he knew that she was his ally. He clenched his hand into a fist, launching a weak blast at the ceiling, leaving a black mark. He sat up, and looked outside towards the mountains. Somewhere, in a palace hidden among the tops of the mountains, was his next adversary.

He reached for his sword and quickly got dressed. After looking at himself in the mirror and seeing his recently re-injured arm, he put his hood up and walked outside the room, down towards the main part. Lloyd was about to round the corner when he heard some voices. He slowed down and peered around the corner. It was some of the council.

"Do we know who he is?"

"He could have seriously hurt princess Sharl…"

"I don't know why she's so smitten with him."

Lloyd knew they were talking about him, but he decided to listen in on what they had discovered about him.

"We've heard that he went into a small town South of here and proceeded to blow up some thieves, and took over the town before mercifully leaving."

 _A little exaggerated,_ he thought. He chuckled inwardly before listening to what they said next.

"He's dangerous for the princess to be around, much less be sexually attracted to. We must take action!"

 _Oh shut up. She could probably outsmart you all combined! And probably beat you in combat too._ Lloyd quietly walked past them, reminded of why he was better than pretty much everyone else out here. They didn't even notice him.

He made his way to the town again, eyes watchful as the first time. He didn't have to be quite as cautious since it was daytime, and it'd be a lot more difficult for someone to attack him. He considered looking for Sharl, but decided against it. Talking to others a lot was more difficult, especially when they knew they were in an inferior position.

Lloyd pulled out the apple that he had bought two nights ago, and bit into it. The apple was surprisingly tart; Lloyd actually enjoyed the sourness of it. It was a kick to the mouth, and Lloyd always enjoyed stronger flavors. During his training, he had always loved eating the tartest grapes, and he would often throw peppers into his cooking. Last night's meal had only sweeter fruits, which was partially why he didn't eat it. That was to be expected when eating with royalty though.

Lloyd nimbly climbed up the side of a large building, placing his hands and feet in the perfect spots for climbing. Less than a minute later he stood on the top, admiring the view. He bit into the apple again. "Hmm… not bad." He could see all the streets and buildings below, and beyond the edge of the city was a river and some pastures.

Lloyd peacefully ate his apple, then wiped his mouth, leaving the core on the roof. He stretched, and put his hands on his hips. "Let's have some fun." Ropes connected some of the buildings, with clothes handing from a lot of them. To most Pokemon, it'd be insane, but to Lloyd, it just looked like an obstacle course. For him, gaps under ten feet were nothing; it was amazing what confidence empowered him to do. Lloyd summersaulted into the air, landing cleanly on one of the ropes. He flipped backwards, twisting around before dashing on the rope, then launched himself onto the next building. "Hehe…"

"Hey! Who's that guy up there?" Down below, a large crowd was gathering.

"That looks dangerous…"

"Hey, get down from there!" A tough looking Ursaring pointed. "Thief! As part of the princess' guard, I order you to come down!"

Lloyd yawned. "Come and get me, then!" _Might as well play around a bit. Not much else to do otherwise. Wait, thief? I never…_ Lloyd immediately took off, running from rooftop to rooftop.

"Grr… get him!" He raised a hand, and immediately, a bunch of bird Pokemon took to the skies, and flew right at him. Lloyd didn't want to hurt her guard, so he decided against using his sword and ran. One confident Pidgeotto decided to dive bomb him; a poor choice. Lloyd immediately jumped up to the flying type's surprise, and kicked him straight down. Lloyd hopped off cleanly, sticking the landing on the roof. He held his arm a little; he had forgotten about it again. When he looked up, he barely had time to roll along the ground to avoid getting hit. _Dammit!_ He rolled back to his feet, grabbed a Staravia, and slammed him to the ground, out cold. He jumped onto the next rope, turned around, and launched a Dark Pulse back at the crowd.

His feet tapped the next building as he landed, breathing a little harder.

He saw shadows circling on the rooftop, and cursed a little. "No matter."

Lloyd's mind instantly counted out the number of bird Pokemon. _Twelve…_ They were all fairly heavily armored.

"End of the road here! You've been causing lots of trouble around here, stranger!"

"I haven't been doing any stealing though."

"We know it's you!" The Ursaring's voice echoed behind him, and Lloyd barely jumped out of the way of a Hammer Arm. "You've been causing princess Sharl all sorts of trouble!"

Lloyd now saw he had an eyepatch over his right eye. "Listen up, I've just came here. I'm not looking for a fight…" Lloyd realized that what he had anticipated as a simple game could become very dangerous. "I'm an honorary guest of the princess."

"Bullshit!" hissed one of the bird Pokemon. "We've seen you here, stealing and just being a total pain in the ass! Thief!"

Lloyd's palm glowed black with a Dark Pulse. That Ursaring giving orders was clearly pissed off about something; most likely involved with that eyepatch. It was clouding his judgment. "I don't want any trouble." Lloyd drew his sword, eyes glinting dangerously. "If you want a fight, then you can have it." He laughed. "Alright, I'll fight you all!"

He got into a fighting stance, then… they all collapsed. Lloyd whipped around instinctively, and immediately felt a blade to his neck.

"Ack…" Lloyd had already been snuck up on by Princess Sharl… but this…

"Who are you?" Much like Lloyd and Sharl had done, this Pokemon covered their face. A silver mask didn't reveal any eyes, or anything that could reveal their identity. "Pull your hood down." Lloyd slowly did as he asked, then put his hands up. "Huh. Umbreon. State your name."

"Lloyd."

In a flash, the masked Pokemon swept Lloyd's legs from under him, causing Lloyd to fall. Immediately, the masked Pokemon dashed across the rooftops at speeds Lloyd had never seen before. Lloyd got ready to chase, then realized he was way too far away. He pulled himself to his feet and dusted himself off, embarrassed. He turned around, looking at the defense force; all of them were unconscious. "Pathetic," he muttered, though it was mostly at himself than the royal guard.

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"What's wrong, Lloyd?" asked Sharl gently. "Your mind is blank… but I'm sensing… frustration."

The two of them were sitting in the hot spring again, Sharl rubbing Lloyd's back. "I met…"

"I'm sorry about my guards, by the way…" A little bit of anxiety edged her voice. "Recently, there's been an unknown figure stealing from the people. I've been trying to catch them, but…"

"Don't worry," said Lloyd. "Sorry for hurting your guard."

She shook her head. "It's my fault. I didn't let them know…" She wrapped her arms around his stomach, her breasts pushing against his back. "You took care of them though."

"Mmm. Is there a reason you're trying to entice me into making love to you?"

She kissed the back of his neck. "You're such a strong, confident male. Handsome, powerful… you're my kind of guy. And be honest with yourself. You're sexually attracted to me aren't you?"

"Well-"

"I've seen you looking at my chest. It's okay. It's natural."

"I didn't need you to tell me that," he grumbled. "That's all true, but we both know that. We both are attracted to each other, so why isn't that enough?"

She sighed, then released her grip on him, and sat next to him, the warm water rippling from her movements. "The council has been pushing me to take a husband; become a true queen, if you may."

Silence ensued. "Listen, I…"

"I'm sorry, that was a little hasty," she said, rubbing her arms with the water. "But I think it's fair to let you know that I think you're really impressive."

"You're pretty impressive too."

"Should've just left it at pretty, hehe."

"Well… you are pretty." Lloyd couldn't make eye contact, but the silence after was all he needed. "We'll just leave it at that."

"You're a good guy, Lloyd." Lloyd stood up, water droplets trickling down his bare body. Sharl covered her mouth, giggling. "Thanks for the view, Lloyd."

He pulled himself out of the water, and dried off before dressing himself. He sighed, feeling the Espeon watching him. "Is there something you want to say?"

"Never mind." _Huh… this is the second time I'm getting that feeling from her._

"Whatever. We'll leave tomorrow, right?"

"Oh, yeah… I already talked with the council. They aren't happy about it, but they'll take care of it since they're loyal to my parents." She huffed, a little annoyed. "Well you go back to your room. You just made me remember them."

"Sorry…" Lloyd picked up Persephone, then started heading back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, goodnight Lloyd." The Espeon narrowed her eyes a little as Lloyd left.

Lloyd hurriedly left. He had something important to do.

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Lloyd wandered the streets, hood up. He kept his eyes peeled for the masked figure, ready to challenge him again. It hadn't been a true defeat, but Lloyd was very excited about the chance to face him again.

Lloyd hid in the shadow of a small tavern, Persephone's magic cloaking him. All around him, there were Pokemon rushing. "The thief! Stop him!"

 _How convenient…_ Lloyd slowly looked to his left, just in time to see the flash of a Pokemon come past. _He's quick… quicker than I ever expected. It's no wonder I couldn't catch him. But…_ Much to his surprise, he turned into an alleyway. _Mistake._ Lloyd walked from the shadows; none of the other Pokemon had seen him turn the corner.

Sitting on a crate was the masked Pokemon. He held his mask in one hand, but he was turned away from Lloyd. Long blonde hair covered most of his face.

Lloyd set his stance, ready to launch himself at the Pokemon.

But he was prepared. "As if life isn't short enough." He hopped down, and looked up at Lloyd. "I've been expecting you for the past hour."

Lloyd paused. _Wait…_ "You have?" Lloyd had not expected this at all.

One of the Pokemon's eyes were covered due to the length of his hair; he brushed it out of his face. "Of course. Only one with confidence could outsmart Sharl's guard the way you did; you would have made short work of them if I hadn't interfered."

Lloyd put his sword back into its sheath. "What's your name…"

"I'm a Jolteon, if you couldn't recognize me due to my hair… it's used to conceal my identity when I don't use my mask. My name… I am Kai."

"Kai…" Lloyd blinked. "I'm Lloyd."

"You didn't need to tell me that. I've been tracking you ever since I saw you. I know your name and about your battle with Sharl. She's quite…"

"Impressive." Lloyd mirrored the comment he had said to her.

"Yes. I've never been able to defeat her, just flee. Her magic is very strong. She wants my head." Kai's hair stood up as his body crackled with electricity.

"Thanks Lloyd for saving me the effort of finding this thief." The Espeon stood next to Lloyd, eyes glowing pink. "You're going to run again, Jolteon?"

"Fufu…the dagger is my day to day weapon. But if given a chance to face the most powerful Pokemon… I'll finish them with style. You see this mask princess?" For the first time, Lloyd realized how horrifying it was; it resembled that of a skull, though it appeared to be made of silver. "It's known as the death mask Loki. When I wear it normally, it makes me stronger… but if I choose…" He put on the mask, and covered it with his hand. "Watch princess." The Jolteon's hair stood on end, an aura of electric energy surrounding him. His eyes glowed through the mask's eyeholes, an eerie purple. His dagger grew larger, until it became a double-ended blade, cackling with voltage.

Sharl close her eyes, and exhaled. "See Lloyd, my powers were severely limited against you due to your inherent type advantage. But now you'll see how I can play defense." She held her staff up, a pink glow surrounding her.

The Jolteon laughed, then jumped up into the air. "Perfect. Let's dance, Sharl!" He spun around the sword until it was a blur, and slammed it down onto the Espeon's shield.

She clenched her teeth, pushed back a little, but her shield still glowed strongly. "Strong…"

Lloyd was hesitant; he definitely wanted to battle Kai, but Sharl wouldn't take kindly to his interference. She waved her arm, launching a blast of psychic energy at the Jolteon. He seemingly teleported behind her, though Lloyd recognized he was moving too quick for any of their eyes. "Look out!" he shouted, and Sharl immediately spun around, launching a blast that caught Kai in the stomach.

"Nngh…" He was launched backwards, summersaulting in the air, though he landed cleanly. The Jolteon didn't have any time to react as another barrage of Dazzling Gleams and Psychics were launched at him.

"Is this all you've got, thief?" He deflected the attacks with his blade, then launched out a bolt of electricity. It ricocheted off of Sharl's barrier, and flew back at him in an explosion. "How stupid… forgetting my ability!"

Once the smoke cleared, the Jolteon stood there, looking annoyed. "How stupid… forgetting my ability…"

Sharl blinked. "So…"

 _No!_ Her shield weakened from surprise for just a moment, and it was then that Kai struck with a slash. Lloyd saw it, and knew he had to save his friend.

He launched himself at Kai's attack, blade parrying his. "You won't hurt her…"

Kai hissed something that Lloyd couldn't make out, while Sharl shouted. "This is my fight!"

"Pull off the mask!"

While Kai was distracted with Lloyd, Sharl caused a bright flash of light, blinding both of them.

Lloyd couldn't see, but he heard Sharl mutter, "Gotcha."

"Huh…" The Jolteon's eyes stopped glowing returning to their normal color. "You got me."

Then Sharl threw the mask onto the ground as the light vanished, and kicked it away. "Damn right."

The Jolteon fell to his knees, breathing hard. The blade had reverted back to a dagger.

Sharl turned to Lloyd. "Why did you interrupt?" She placed her hands on her hips angrily.

"I…" Lloyd shook his head. "I thought your shield was going to break."

"I had him. It was an illusion. I was ready to parry him."

"I…"

She huffed, then turned to Kai. "What do we do with him? He's wanted here."

Lloyd thought, then said, "I suppose the mask has heavy physical stress when in use, hence why he doesn't always use it." He aimed the question at Kai. "Right?"

The Jolteon's nose bled a little as he looked up, then grinned. "Yup. I would've gotten her if you hadn't interrupted Lloyd. Planned my ass, princess. You were vulnerable."

She stiffened, then shook her head. "You lost to a girl. Admit it."

"I lost to a girl. Now…" He pulled himself to his feet, and picked up the mask, which he put in his cloak. "I've heard that you're looking to defeat the four rulers and get them to take you to see the legendries."

 **Longer= more action. Read and review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Mask**

"See, there are supposedly ten weapons made in the image of legendries. Four of them belong to each of the four rulers, myself included. This is the Sol Staff, capable of producing blinding light that can actually physically damage you. Of course, it can do other things, but I'll keep those secret, especially from you, _thief_."

The Jolteon sighed as she put emphasis on the word "thief". "Can't you just drop it already? I already apologized."

"What are the other ten sacred weapons?"

Sharl thought about it, then said, "I know that Princess Elaine of the North region is armed with Crystal Bow Lucia. It's supposed to freeze your innards with just one shot, and the arrows can be manipulated mid-flight as well."

"You know her, don't you?"

Sharl smirked. "Smart one. Yes, Elaine is my best friend. She's a year older than me, but she and I have bonded closely. Unlike me, Elaine though…

"What do you mean by that?" Kai walked a little bit behind the other two. He had wanted to come along with them for similar reasons to Lloyd; to face the strongest around. Sharl hadn't been happy, but since he had agreed to carry their stuff, she had grudgingly allowed it. And Lloyd knew that the Jolteon would be good company, since he was as smart as them.

"She's more serious," she said thoughtfully. "Lloyd knows I can be flirtatious, but she cares less about sex. She has numerous suitors, and brutally beats them in combat. And her looks… I haven't seen her in a year, but she's widely regarded to be the most beautiful Pokemon within the last century."

Lloyd shrugged. "Beautiful or not, she'd better be ready to get her ass kicked."

Kai huffed. " _Brutally beats them in combat._ Cool. Sounds like my kind of battle."

Sharl sighed. "She is my best friend… but I'll admit…" She huffed in embarrassment. "She's taken down some of most well known warriors… she defeated the Southern Warlord Victor despite his massive type advantage."

Lloyd paused. Victor was widely regarded as the most powerful in close range combat, and even Lloyd's master had believed that. For her to take him down… "She's a Glaceon, right?"

"Yes."

"And Victor is a Flareon."

"Yes. So… she's that powerful." That did excite Lloyd.

Kai smirked. "Powerful…"

Sharl shook her head. "If I gave you two as much trouble as I did, you're going to have to do better."

"Tsk, you've got no idea. I can do much more than the things I challenged you with." Lloyd drew his sword. "Persephone… she loves blood."

Sharl tilted her head, then shook it. "That demon blade… I don't like it."

"I don't expect you to. A sword in your gut isn't something you should like. You never felt this sword gash you, but Princess Elaine will." Lloyd slashed through the air hard enough so that a small shockwave of wind flew from it. He sheathed it again. "I went through the hassle of beating you, Sharl. I don't intend to lose, regardless of gender."

Lloyd barely had time to avoid a punch Kai flung at him. "Don't be getting cocky. I want my own chance to take you down. Of course I want a rematch with the lady here as well."

"Bring it on. I don't need Lloyd's help to flatten you!"

Lloyd was actually curious to see them fight and learn their styles, but he was equally eager to meet Elaine, and injuries would be a pain to deal with during their travels. "Come on now, you guys can fight each other while I defeat Elaine."

Kai was holding his mask in his hand, and Sharl's eyes glowed bright pink. Finally, both of them backed down.

"If you say so," murmured Sharl.

"Tsk, whatever," grumbled Kai. He tossed the mask and caught it behind his back before walking a little ahead. "Let's go, we've only been walking for a few hours."

Sharl sighed. "This would be so much easier if it was just the two of us."

Lloyd pulled off his outer cloak. "Kai's a proficient fighter as you know, and you'd probably continue to try seduce me."

"True," she admitted, a little grudgingly. "I suppose it's better this way… though sex has been proven to increase physical abilities…"

Lloyd decided to ignore that comment. "Victor is the ruler of the South, and Elaine rules the North. What about the East?"

"The tactician Leviathan rules there. Nobody has seen him, but he's supposedly so powerful that he causes storms that destroyed coasts. He doesn't even face challengers as far as I know."

Lloyd decided to worry about the mysterious Leviathan later. "What are the known powers of her bow?"

"It's made of ice that cannot be melted, while the arrows are formed by her ice type attacks. She specializes in long-ranged combat, but she's accurate enough to the point where she's impossible to close in on. We'd often spar using soft-tipped arrows, and I could never hit her. She was highly nimble as well. And I only suspect she's gotten stronger. Actually, I expect it."

Lloyd thought about it. "Hmm…" He began outlining a plan of attack. Deep down, he realized an archer would have a terrible matchup against a swordsman like himself. Lloyd was great at hand to hand and at sword combat, but other than dark pulse, which was easy to see from a distance, there wasn't much he could do. Even his invisibility would be useless if he couldn't do anything.

Sharl was echoing his thoughts. "She is a long ranged fighter, while you're close-ranged. I stayed at a medium range from you, but she could be hundreds of feet away and still get you…"

Lloyd didn't want to reveal his 4th and final move to Sharl or Kai, but it was likely necessary to get the advantage over Elaine. Still, it was a last resort. "I think I'm okay. I've sort of got a plan."

"I hope so. I don't want to see you get mauled," she said, hugging his arm. "You're both my friends, so don't hurt her too bad."

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"My god… Kai…" Sharl's mouth hung open, food still in it. "This… w-what is this?"

The Jolteon shrugged. "It's just some mushrooms, salt, a few bitter berries, and some vegetables your chefs gave me. I tossed in a few peppers too. Personally, I've cooked better…"

Lloyd looked at the bowl of broth skeptically, then took a spoonful. _I guess I should trust his cooking…_ Lloyd ate most of his food raw. Fish, berries, you name it. It was eaten raw to preserve all the nutrients. But the soup. _Oh wow…_ Lloyd felt his eyes widen. "This is fantastic, Kai!"

"You too?" he grumbled. "It's nothing special." The Jolteon closed his eyes and took a sip. "It needs some more salt."

"Where did you learn to cook like this?" Sharl leaned over.

He sighed. "I don't really think it tastes that good. I'm pretty much all self-taught as a cook."

"I normally don't eat cooked foods… but this is impressive," said Lloyd. "You're going to have to cook for us from now on."

"Yeah right."

"I'm not kidding," said Sharl. "I defeated you, and now you're my servant." She brushed her long hair. "I want food like this each night."

Lloyd pondered that statement. "Well, I did defeat you…" He covered his mouth thoughtfully. "Well, you are my servant, aren't you, Princess?"

"Oh, I'm fully aware of that!" She winked at him. "I'm more than willing to let you…" She blushed, looking both mischievous and embarrassed. "Well, control me…"

Lloyd sighed. "They say us guys are sex-crazed. You're a slut."

"Hey, I only say that because I know you're not going to do anything. And this is my normal dress too," she protested. Then she sighed. "Why are we even talking about this anyways?"

"I'm not cooking," grumbled Kai.

"Fine, I'll beat you again then!" said Sharl, standing up.

"You're on, princess!"

Lloyd stood up, and pushed the two of them apart. "Now now, injuries are going to postpone my fight with Elaine. I say you two have a competition."

"Huh… what do you propose?" asked Kai.

Lloyd snapped his fingers. "My master would always train me in games to make me more cunning and faster thinking. Pure combat would be risky, physical strength would favor Kai, special attacking Sharl, so a game of wits and attention will decide the cook."

The Espeon rested her hands on her hips. "Well, what's this game?" She sounded curious, and Lloyd grinned.

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Lloyd watched as the two eons looked for Lloyd. He had decided on a game of hide and seek. Simple in concept, but very advanced strategically as well. If you could guess where an opponent would hide, you could easily win.

Sharl huffed. "Go away, you're going to try catch him after I find him."

Kai shrugged. "Strategies, princess. Rather than waste my energy looking for him, I'll stay by you and think on my own."

Lloyd chuckled inwardly. _You'll never find me like that, Jolteon. How disappointing. I thought you were as smart as us._

"You're an idiot if you think that," snorted Sharl. "As if I'd let you. You may be quick, but I've got some other advantages."

"Like what?"

"Breasts… cuteness… hehe, Lloyd can't resist touching them."

"WHAT?" The Jolteon shook his head. "You let him touch your boobs?!"

"Yup… in the hot spring, our bodies naked…"

"Hngh… that's indecent for a princess like you!"

"Oh, I'd only let Lloyd touch them though. His hands were so soft…"

"Stop it, now I'm imagining it! Bah, I'm going away! You big distraction!"

She giggled. "Gotcha. Now now Lloyd… I'll find you."

Lloyd grinned, then removed his cloaking. "You pervert… distracting him with scandalous lies. Impressive strategy though, since he is quicker than you and tailing you would be a problem for you."

She grinned. "Just who do you think I am? You knew I would've found you first, so that's why you showed yourself. Though that is cheating…"

"Don't worry, I want him to cook too."

"Hehe. That makes two of us." He looked at where the Jolteon had vanished. "Now that he's gone…"

"We can ha-"

"Shush." Lloyd sheathed his sword, not needing its cloaking. "You tell me about your friend Princess Elaine."

She sighed. "More interested in her than me, huh. Very well. I'm sure you've done your research on her, so I'll tell you about her style more. She's a master archer, capable of manipulating the trajectory of her frozen ice arrows mid-flight. Her sheer accuracy means that if you're in sight, you're probably already a goner. And since she likes to battle in her frozen palace, there's many places for her to hide from you. I've visited the palace and played with her there; she knows how to hide there, and I wouldn't be here if she hadn't been using fake arrows. I know you've beat me and that you're powerful, but Elaine… she knows that she's invincible at long range. A swordsman like you… roughly zero chance you'll get close enough."

Lloyd snorted. "Just who do you think I am?"

"I'm telling you you're being too confident. Elaine cannot be defeated by a swordsman, no matter how sk- EEP!" She yelped as the Umbreon pushed her to the ground, one arm holding her from hitting the ground, the other covering her mouth.

"Come on now. I'm a dark type. Stealth is my whole advantage. She can see what she wants to see, but can she see the truth?"

"Lloyd…" She blushed. "T-t-taking a lady by force… l-like that…" Her face was red. "You're strong…"

Lloyd helped her back to her feet. "As long as I'm in the shadows, as we are now, I can deceive. I believe I can defeat her this way."

"Revealing a weakness like that…" She dusted off her dress, seeming to regain her composure. "That's a mistake in most cases. I'd normally use that… but you…" Her face became reddish again. "Let's just go."

 _I see. Not afraid to be flirtatious or even indecent, but you are flustered if you're not expecting it._ He smiled. _You're funny, princess Sharl._

"Wh-why are you looking at me like that?" She brushed her hair. "Let's find Kai and tell him the news."

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"I still can't believe I lost to a girl," grumbled Kai.

"Twice," added Sharl.

Lloyd and Sharl decided just to keep quiet about their little agreement. "Let's get moving again. This has been a very long lunch break." The sun was well past noon, and the grassy green plains brushed in the wind. The distant snowy mountains didn't look much closer than when they left the city. "You said two to three days right?"

"Yes. It should be about that." She looked towards the mountains, where some clouds lurked. "Those clouds… that's right where Elaine's land begins. I anticipate we may encounter some guards."

"No problem. They'll be games for us." Kai smiled. "If you're going to challenge the queen, then I think Sharl and I at least deserve the guards."

Lloyd sighed. "Whatever. As long as I can achieve my goal…" He looked up to see the other two in the distance already. "Well well… now they're motivated. I suppose that's not a bad thing though…"

The three eons continued towards the mountains for the remainder of the day, and partially into the night. Eventually, Sharl started to feel sleepy due to her being a Sun Pokemon, so they decided to spend the night near a small lake.

The Espeon invited Lloyd to bathe with her, but he politely declined. "Yeah… not tonight. I've got some thinking to do."

"Feel free to join me, then…" she said with a yawn.

Kai sipped some tea he had prepared and sat across the small fire they had built. "She's a strange one, the princess. She's a complete flirt, but becomes a monster in combat." He exhaled loudly. "Of course we're all sort of like that."

Lloyd had not thought of it that way. _Do I change?_ "It is quite lonely. Aside from my master, you two are the only two who think like I do."

The Jolteon sipped his tea again. "Tell me about it. All four of the rulers, including Leviathan the Gyarados are all extremely intelligent. But other than that… there aren't a whole lot of logics."

"Logics… I like that term." The two males drank silently, the sound of bug Pokemon breaking the silence. The mountains were a little darker against the already shadowy night sky, and the air was already much cooler, though Lloyd didn't know if it was because of night or the mountains. Splashing sounds came from the lake, and Lloyd ignored it.

"She's hot, don't you think?" asked Kai.

"Why are you talking about this?"

He shrugged. "It's natural. That's what guys our age talk about. So what?"

"Sort of. Though it is rather distracting. Do you disagree?"

"No. She is quite stunning, though she is a little strange." He smirked. "I can tell you're a little uncomfortable with this discussion, so I'll drop it." He sighed. "Tomorrow, I'm sure we'll reach it. We moved so quickly this afternoon that we'll hit the mountains tomorrow night."

"That's good. You've been there before?"

The Jolteon's eyes flashed for a second, then he stood up. "That doesn't matter. I'm going to go wash off," he said hastily, before going off towards the lake.

Lloyd sat there alone, near the crackling fire. Something about the Jolteon's reaction unnerved him. Obviously, he was hiding something, but what? Lloyd put his cup down on the grass. "I've got a goal… but what about the other two?" It was clear Lloyd had some other motive other than just becoming stronger.

"You're overthinking, Lloyd." He jumped back in surprise. Sharl was sitting next to him already.

"How did you get there?"

She yawned. "I don't know. The other times, I snuck up on you, but this time, I wasn't even trying to be quiet. You looked lost in your thoughts." She pointed to the lake. "I saw Kai head down there a little while ago. He didn't even look at me." She frowned. "Did you say something to him?"

Lloyd shook his head. "Not really." He decided not to tell her about the Jolteon's reaction. "How was the bath?"

"The water was cold, and I'm still a little wet. Though I suppose I am rather pampered, all used to the warmth of the spring."

"Is the princess complaining?" he teased.

"I lost my mother not too long ago, and didn't complain. You think this is worse than that pain?" She looked away.

Lloyd had nearly forgotten that Sharl had not been the ruler for very long, and that her mother had been killed very recently. _It must have been hard for her… but she's doing her best to move on and lead her people._ "I'm sorry. I heard your mother was a very good queen."

"She was. I always looked up to her. She was very beautiful, and trained me in her image. More graceful, smarter… but she always refused to challenge me, saying that peace was the best decision and that conflicts should be sorted out that way." She sighed. "While I'm not certain, I suspect that peace-loving demeanor is what killed her." The Espeon looked away. "I cried for a long time, but to keep to my mother's wishes, I will not seek revenge."

Lloyd took a deep breath, then gently asked, "Who did it?"

"It happened along the South-eastern border of our land. The rumor is that they were surprised attacked." She flinched slightly, as if she remembered the sight. "They found her and the guards' bodies. Blood all over… no other traces."

Lloyd held her hand. "It's alright."

She looked at him, eyes teary. She wiped the tears away. "Thank you… Lloyd… I… it's nice to talk to you." She swallowed.

He looked up at the stars. "I can relate."

She paused. "So you lost a parent too?"

"Both." He didn't at her, and specifically kept his mind blank to keep her from reading it.

The Espeon tightened her grip. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." _It's my fault anyways._ He felt the Espeon look at him in surprise, but she was silent. "Don't be," he repeated.

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The next morning, Lloyd woke up when it was still dark. Near him was Sharl, and Kai slept on the other side of the fire that had died overnight. He stretched, then sighed loudly, and stood up. He looked around for his sword, and picked it up once he found it.

He looked at the others who were still sleeping, and headed towards the lake. The sand shifted beneath his feet, and the gentle sound of lapping waves calmed him. He exhaled, then drew his sword and threw off his cloak in preparation for his daily training.

Lloyd wouldn't think a whole lot while he trained, and today was no exception. Nothing like sweating out before the sun rose. He lost track of the time, and eventually wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Training hard, huh?"

Lloyd didn't need to turn around to recognize Kai. "You're up early."

"Same as you." The Jolteon slowly walked in front of Lloyd, just outside of his slashes and stabs. "I was just coming to get some water to boil. Huh. I'm surprised that you get up this early to train."

Lloyd rested his sword on the ground. "I'm an Umbreon. It's only logical that I train when I'm strongest."

Kai held up a finger. "Increased strength, speed, and darkness powers. I've researched the strengths of each evolutionary path of our kind."

This irked Lloyd a little. Becoming an Umbreon hadn't been is choice. "Are you saying Jolteons are superior?"

The Jolteon shrugged. "I'm not saying anything. Each species has strong and weak matchups against one another. In my case, speed was the optimal decision."

Lloyd grunted. _Nice save._ His decision to become an Umbreon was a sore spot for him, especially since it was closely tied to his parents. "Whatever. If you're just here to irritate me, you're doing a good job."

The Jolteon held up his hands defensively. "Normally, I'd challenge you, but you're all warmed up and it's still dark." He smoothed his long hair. "I've got a piece of advice for your battle with Elainc."

"What?"

"She's the coldest, most distant of them all."

Lloyd buried the blade into the sand. "I thought you didn't know her. You seemed happy to know about her as a strong opponent." He crossed his arms. "You tell me what happened."

Kai locked eyes with him, an unspoken contest. Then the Jolteon sighed. "Fine."

He sat down on the sand, and Lloyd copied him, lowering himself using his sword. "Who are you?"

"Eight years ago, when I was eleven," began Kai. "Eight years, I was a young Eevee. Projected to be the ruler of my country, the Northern region, or Niren as we Northerners call it. I'm from a royal bloodline that has existed for over hundreds of years, as is my sister."

"Sister?"

"Princess Elaine."

It all made sense now. Oftentimes, siblings would fight for power over a land. "So she defeated you?"

"Yes. We were both very young, and both made our decisions of what to evolve into. Both of my parents being Glaceons, as well as all of my ancestors, led to a lot of favoritism to her." There was no bitterness in Kai's voice, only a hint of sadness. "Clearly, she won, since she was trained by my parents personally who taught her how to properly use her powers, and I had to train alone."

Lloyd knew pity would upset the Jolteon, so he asked, "Why did you become a Jolteon then? You full well knew what would happen with that decision."

Kai sat up. "See, that's what I like about you. No pity at this time." Kai bit his upper lip, then said, "It was rebellion. I was tired of it. Everyone thought they could control me, and what happened to me. I evolved to revolt."

 _Evolve to rebel._ "So you had your match with her, and they banished you."

"Well, there's more to it than that, but yes. Simply put, that is."

"So how will this help me?"

"You're not seeing it are you? She is the leader of the entire nation. She's got a reputation to uphold, and if she loses to you…"

"You're implying she'll be reckless and more aggressive? So what if she loses? Sharl is okay…"

"Nobody else from Princess Sharl's family is fit to rule. If she loses, our parents may very well retake the throne from her."

Lloyd pulled himself to his feet. He knew for a fact that those with something to fight for were more dangerous. He didn't understand how that would help him. "Thanks, then."

"I hope you figure out what I'm saying."

"I get it," lied Lloyd, pulling his blade up and walking back.

"Tsk. I hope for your sake you do."

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"How are you today, princess?"

A beautiful Glaceon bowed down. "I am well, master. You?" The ice-type's blue hair dangled down, and her dark blue eyes reflected her master's reflection. She wore a long, light blue dress, designed to be light and covering. Her bangs swayed in the icy night, and she held her bow in one hand. Anyone who saw her would certainly agree with her title as most beautiful Pokemon, as even her voice was beautiful, in a surreal way.

"I am well." Next to her stood a slightly taller male wearing a royal blue cloak. No Pokemon in Niren knew of his species, or where he came from, or even his age. It was all a mystery, and Elaine would never tell anyone about him. Rumors existed that he was Elaine's brother, or that his face was so badly scarred he needed to cover it with a cloth that covered his entire nose and mouth.

"That's good to hear. You summoned me?"

A cold breeze blew across the balcony, the cloaked figure's cloak and Elaine's dress fluttering in the wind. "Princess Sharl was defeated by a mysterious Umbreon."

"An Umbreon? Obviously. Sharl has no chance against a dark-type," said Elaine calmly. She brushed her hair behind her ears. "Why does this concern me?"

"He's heading here next." The cloth muffled the Pokemon's voice. "I hope you're ready."

"Did he kill her?"

"No." He quietly turned to look out across the frozen mountaintops. "She is travelling with him."

Elaine gripped her bow. "Why?"

"I do not know. It's very illogical, especially since she cannot hurt you. But can you hurt her?"

"Of course I can. You've trained me mentally."

"Training isn't something that can be tested with more training. You know the strength of bonds."

The Glaceon exhaled, then softly said, "I will defeat them. I will not lose my throne, whatever the cost."

The masked figure looked up at the stars. "Good." His voice didn't change as he added, "I've got matters to attend to."

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"Was that the last of them?" Kai held up the body of an unconscious Mightyena guard. "I thought they'd be tougher," he added with disappointment.

Sharl sighed. "I took most of them out. You hardly did anything. Even Lloyd could have done more."

Lloyd had just waited in one of the guard towers, arms crossed as the other two obliterated the guards. As Kai had anticipated, news had spread of them trying to challenge Elaine, and the guards had attacked once they had seen him. Kai and Sharl had flown in immediately under orders not to kill, just disarm.

"You guys are too slow," yawned Lloyd. He threw his sheathed sword over his shoulder. "We'll need the rest of the day in order to reach Elaine's palace."

"As if you could have done better," grumbled Kai. "Whatever."

"Brr… it is getting a little chilly. When we were children, Elaine would always come to us, not the other way around. Now I know why… eh?"

Lloyd threw his outer cloak at her. "Use this."

"But aren't you cold?" He shook his head, and Sharl blushed. "O-okay."

Lloyd started walking ahead. "Kai, are there any more guard stations along here?"

The Jolteon thought about it, then said, "No. I haven't been here for awhile though, but I think that there won't be trouble."

"Wait up…" Sharl slipped on the cloak as she caught up. "You've been here before?" Kai grunted before walking ahead. "Hey, that's-"

Lloyd rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't."

The Espeon stared at Kai for a moment longer. "I don't get it…" She turned to Lloyd. "You know something, don't you?"

"Not now." He tightened his grip comfortingly. "You'll find out soon enough, and Lloyd is going to need his fortitude to visit Princess Elaine."

"I… see." She lowered her arm, and stayed next to Lloyd as they walked through a valley. "Elaine… she was always playful. I met her when we were 10… she and her brother would visit as our parents were good friends, and the North and West have a strong history together."

Lloyd blinked. "So… why isn't she playful anymore?"

"She… she told me her brother was killed in an avalanche. She never got over it, and grew more and more distant, and more focused on becoming stronger."

Silently, Lloyd listened. "Hmm… did they ever find her brother's body?"

"I don't know. It's not like I asked."

Lloyd looked ahead at Kai. _He does have it rough._ _His parents won't even acknowledge him… though I suppose it's still better than me._ "Kai, how much longer until the palace?"

"Nightfall. Though…" He whipped around and threw his dagger straight at Lloyd. Lloyd briefly was horrified until he saw the panic in Kai's face as time seemed to slow down. Out of nowhere, a pointed chain flew straight at them, but the dagger knocked it away. Lloyd had time to push Sharl down, anticipating another attack. But it never came.

"Umbreon…" Lloyd felt a hand on his shoulder, and froze. _How… did they get so close?_ "Princess Elaine wishes to speak with princess Sharl alone…"

Lloyd narrowed his eyes, and kicked the unknown figure in the stomach. Lloyd turned around to see the cloaked Pokemon. His eyes were an intense blue, but that was all he could see. "You're going to kidnap Sharl?"

Immediately, the figure's eyes flashed, and the chain came out at Lloyd quicker than Kai. Lloyd barely had time to try cut the chain as it flew towards him. He thought he cut it, but the edge still hit his side, and Lloyd felt blood trickle from it. Much to his horror, he hadn't actually cut the chain, and felt it wrapping around his ankle. _What it this?_

"Stop!" He heard Sharl shout. "Let Lloyd go!"

The figure froze, and the chain slowly untangled itself around Lloyd, slithering back to the mysterious male. "As you wish princess. I hope that you understand that Elaine wishes to speak to you alone, before your impending battle?"

"How did you know that?" asked Lloyd, mind racing.

"Elaine has connections all over. She already knew Princess Sharl was defeated by an Umbreon. It's only logical that she was probably next."

"I will go with you," murmured the Espeon.

Lloyd held his side. "Don't. You can't trust him…"

"Don't worry about me." She smiled at Lloyd. "Elaine wouldn't hurt me. We're friends."

"No, don't…" Lloyd held out a hand, but she shook her head.

"Take me to Elaine."

Lloyd turned to Kai, but the Jolteon's feet had been frozen to the ground. "Kai-" When Lloyd turned back around, Sharl and the mysterious Pokemon had already vanished.

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"Lloyd… are you alright?" The two of them had walked for hours in silence, with only the crunching of the gravel which slowly became snow under their feet. Night had descended an hour ago, and it was very dark.

He heard Kai's voice. "I… I'm alright." In reality, he was not okay. Lloyd had been confident; nothing could surprise him. Except for a Pokemon whom would have killed Lloyd by now had Kai not noticed him and in the same time had tapped him on the shoulder. And to top it off, the Pokemon had gone and taken the Pokemon whom he considered his best friend and he hadn't been able to stop it. But all of Lloyd's training taught him to keep calm and not to panic. There had to be something that he was doing that made him so stealthy…

"Lloyd… don't get down on yourself." Kai punched Lloyd lightly in the shoulder. "I'm excited. He'll be a strong opponent whom I guarantee we'll get to face someday. Strong Pokemon attract other strong ones."

Lloyd nodded. _Yes… no point getting own now. I'll face him later._ "Do you know who he is?"

"I wish I did… but no. I have never seen him before." Kai looked a little puzzled. "I do wonder what or who he is… his style of fighting… a chain that was edged but also knew an ice type move… hmm…"

Lloyd thought back to the battle. He hadn't heard or seen anything at all. Oftentimes, dark types were the stealthiest, and he knew that. But the chain bothered him as well… his sword hadn't been able to cut it. It wasn't hard, but it was pass through. "Was that a sacred weapon possibly?"

"It could have been… but I don't have as much knowledge as Sharl when it comes to that. My sister probably could identify."

Lloyd had almost forgotten about Elaine after his battle with the mysterious Pokemon. "So your sister is expecting us. She won't attack us now, right?"

"No. Like you and me, she is fascinated with power, and she'll enjoy the chance to battle strong enemies like you."

"So you won't battle her?"

"No. I won't, and certainly don't plan to."

"Why?"

Kai huffed. "If I beat her, since she's the ruler, my parents may very well…"

It didn't need to be said. Kai didn't want his sister to be hurt.

"I see. If that's the case, then… then I'll beat her. But won't they punish her if I defeat her?"

Kai shook his head. "I may have been dishonored and my parents say that I'm dead, but I can take care of that alone."

Then Lloyd froze. "There… is that it?"

On the top of the mountain they had been moving up was the massive palace. Lights illuminated it from the night sky as snow slowly began to fall. "Yes… that is in fact my home. The Niren royal palace.

 **Alright, please read and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Frozen Rose**

Lloyd and Kai were both greeted at the entrance of the castle. "We've been expecting you." The attendants were a mixture of ice types, ranging from Froslass to Beartic. They all bowed down, though none of the attendants made eye contact.

The palace was incredibly bright, despite it being nighttime. Its walls were covered in frost… the more Lloyd looked, he realized it was almost made of ice. Frozen sculptures of various Pokemon loomed throughout the castle. Snow fell on an icy courtyard in the center of the castle, as frozen trees reflected moonlight.

In the center of the courtyard stood the mysterious masked Pokemon from earlier. He was motionless, though his eyes moved to observe them.

 _You…_ Lloyd walked past him, tension crackling between them. _Who are you?_ The silence made Lloyd uncomfortable, though Lloyd probably preferred it to him speaking back. There was something about the Pokemon that Lloyd hated. The two eons walked past the courtyard, through a hall until they were out of his sight.

Finally, they emerged into a massive room. Enormous pillars of ice held the ceiling up, and hole in the ceiling revealed a cloudless night sky where snow fell through. Much like the courtyard, the moon was the primary source of lighting.

Lloyd was surprised by the sheer size of the throne room. It was the largest room by far he had ever seen. At the top of a long staircase stood Elaine. She walked down the stairs with the same grace of Sharl, her light blue dress trailing behind her.

Sharl had not been lying; the Glaceon was gorgeous. He had thought that Sharl had been the most beautiful, but Elaine was arguably prettier. She had well a nicely shaped figure, with a slightly smaller chest than Sharl, but a slightly slimmer overall physique. Her eyes were a gentle blue; Lloyd had expected her to look more intimidating than she did. Her blue bangs dangled down, swaying gently as she walked, and as she came closer, Lloyd saw the sacred bow strapped to her back. She made it down to bottom of the stairs, and curtsied as she came near them.

"Welcome, travellers." She stood up straight again as they bowed.

"It's good to see you again, sister."

Elaine's gaze brightened ever so slightly as she saw the Jolteon, but quickly faded. "You as well, my _deceased_ brother." She nodded at him coolly before turning to Lloyd. "Sharl has told me wonderful things about you, Lloyd."

"That's nice to hear." Lloyd looked around. "Where is she?"

"She's alright, don't worry about her." She waved her hand dismissively. "Now…"

Lloyd held up two fingers. "Before you go on, I would like to know two things. Who is the masked Pokemon who attacked us and took Sharl?"

Elaine blinked, then said, "Master, will you show yourself?"

"Master…?" mumbled Kai.

Then in the blink of an eye, he was standing next to the Glaceon, arms crossed. "What is it?" he murmured.

"This is my mentor and master."

The Pokemon bowed politely. "I believe we have already met one another."

Lloyd tapped his foot. "What's your name?"

"I've been called lots of names. Whatever suits you." The masked Pokemon turned around and walked away, giving Lloyd no trace of who he was.

"Your second question?" mused Elaine.

Lloyd turned back to the Glaceon. "Sharl… where is she?" he asked again. "I would like to see her."

Elaine sighed, then said, "Wait here…" She walked down one of the halls, slowly vanishing from sight.

"Your sister is quite beautiful," commented Lloyd.

"Don't you dare," warned Kai. "Sharl is smitten with you anyways."

"I wouldn't try. Sex is a distraction," said Lloyd, leaning against one of the massive ice pillars. "Just a statement. All the more enjoyable it will be to bleed her out."

Kai crossed his arms. "Elaine isn't my enemy. I have nothing against her personally, so if you hurt her badly, I won't forgive you, and I hope Sharl won't either." There was definitely threat in his voice, and Lloyd realized he was honest.

"I understand…"

"Good." Lloyd wasn't scared of the Jolteon, but he had become a strong ally, and Lloyd didn't want to ruin that.

"So your sister… you don't know her mentor at all?"

He shook his head. The masked figure watched them from an icy balcony very high, almost near the hole in the ceiling. "Normally, I'd be able to pick up something in his voice, but I'm confident I've never met him before." Kai shrugged. "I saw what he did to you. He could have done a lot more damage than he chose to. I don't want to say it… but we did get a little lucky."

That is what frustrated Lloyd as well. The fact that he let them go was disrespectful. _I'll beat you one day… I promise._

"Lloyd?" He turned around to see the two princesses standing near them. The Espeon smiled when she saw him. "Are you alright? How is that cut healing?"

"I washed it out. It's fine."

The Espeon hugged him quickly, Lloyd enjoying her warmth and scent. "Did you miss me?"

Lloyd didn't want to admit it aloud, so he nodded slightly, and she smiled. "Don't you worry about me." She let go of Lloyd. "Well then, Elaine and I had a long talk and caught up on some things."

"Like what?"

Sharl looked ready to speak, but Elaine rested a hand on her shoulder, and the Espeon sighed. Elaine spoke up. "She told me about your plan to eliminate the legendries. It's bold, if I say so myself. Still…"

"Elaine!" A voice echoed throughout the throne room. The sound of steps approached, and Lloyd turned to see an older Glaceon walking towards them. "Who are these intruders?"

"I-"

"Y-you!" She held a finger out, eyes glistening angrily, pointing towards Kai. "What are you doing here? You're dead!"

The Jolteon's eyes flashed, and for a moment, Lloyd thought he would attack her. Then he murmured, "Nice to see you again, mother."

"Huh… who are you?" she asked pointing to Lloyd. "If you wish to bring our nation honor that the South has stolen, you'll have to teach outsiders like these a lesson!"

"I didn't even introduce myself," murmured Lloyd. "So you're Kai and Elaine's mother."

"Obviously." She snorted. "An Umbreon… how disgraceful. It's clear that Glaceons are the superior species. How disgusting that my son should become something else," she said snidely. "Only my daughter is fit to rule our beloved country."

Kai glared at his mother, then whipped around angrily down one of the halls.

"Tsk, such a troublesome brat," sneered his mother.

Lloyd had seen a lot of things, but he couldn't believe how terrible a mother this Glaceon was. "Mother, please relax," murmured Elaine.

The elder Glaceon took a deep breath. "Very well. I trust you to lead. However…" Her voice became menacing. "Do not fail our will."

"Yes mother…" Elaine bowed her head, and the elder Glaceon walked down the same passage where Kai had left.

Elaine watched her, then exhaled loudly, shaking her head. "Sharl has told me a lot about you. The Umbreon that defeated her… that's impressive." A little hesitantly, she added, "So you want to challenge me to have me help you take down the legendries…"

"That's right."

"But you know I can't do that, right?"

Lloyd was puzzled. "Why?"

"Because my mother will not hesitate to take away my status as ruler if I do that."

Lloyd didn't know what to say. There was nothing else he really could say. If she wasn't the ruler any more… she wouldn't be able to help him. He already knew that if her mother wouldn't allow it, then she wouldn't go either. "You can't persuade her?"

Elaine looked down the hall. "You've seen her. I'd love to challenge you, though. It'd be an honor."

She smiled at him, and Sharl glared at her. "You're a lot different from the last time we've met. You were super unfriendly to me last time, not talking that much."

"I'm sorry for that… my master has encouraged me to be a little more outgoing."

Her master still stood far above, though Lloyd wasn't sure if he was looking at them. "What type of Pokemon is your master? He fights strangely."

"I don't know, to be honest. He's much older than any of us though. He beat me in combat, and visits me from time to time, training me. It's coincidence he was here when you guys came."

Lloyd narrowed his eyes. _So he is stronger than Elaine. Who… no… what the hell are you?_

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"Master…" Elaine nimbly leaped up onto the same balcony outside the frozen palace. She bowed. "Wonderful weather we are having tonight, no?"

He nodded briefly, though he was staring out across the other adjacent peaks. "Why have you come here? I thought you had some preparations to do for the guests tonight?"

"I… well… my brother… he… I…"

He crossed his arms, still looking away. "Spit it out."

"He was concerned for me, and wants to know who you are."

He turned around to look at her, eyes peering through the mask. "Confident words for a dead man. But he is your brother after all… and the bonds between brothers are powerful."

"Master… I… I must confess, I am honored you took me as your apprentice… but… who are you? You never respond, but I feel…"

"I've never answered that question. Would you behave the same way if I was actually your brother? Actually your friend? That's what you must ask yourself."

"I… ngh…" Elaine looked out across the frozen lands that were hers. "Can you offer me any insight against the Umbreon tomorrow?"

"Swordsman, stealth and speed reliant. Very confident, but smart too. Impressive, but stood no chance at range. It was easy singling him out from mid range, while disabling your brother."

"Impressive as ever, master. Is there anything for me to be wary of? It's purely an exhibition match, but…"

He looked away. "You'll figure it out, I'm certain. Otherwise I'm sure your…" It didn't need to be said what would happen. She'd lose the throne, regardless of what was at stake. "Your mother accepted your defeat at my hands due to my intervention. But losing to an Umbreon, another eon of all things… she wouldn't accept that, as you know."

"So I need to win this… this meaningless match…"

"It appears so."

"Ngh… we've got to call it off! Regardless of what happens… there's nothing in it for me!"

"It's too late Elaine." He held up a hand. "You need not worry about your mother."

"What? What do you mean?"

He looked at her from the corners of his eyes. "I am your mentor. I won't let anything like that happen to my apprentice."

She narrowed her eyes, then exhaled. "Are you saying I should attempt to make the battle worth something more? Take up his deal?"

The masked Pokemon was silent for awhile, then said, "Yes."

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"Come on Lloyd. You're looking really tired tonight. You really should rest."

"But…"

Sharl hugged him. "You've got a plan already. Besides, this is merely an exhibition match. Losing or winning has no consequence."

Lloyd stood up, then turned around. "I'm sorry…" He had never expected to feel apologetic, but he did now. He grabbed a fruit(how they had fruit in these mountains was beyond him) and put it in his robe.

She tilted her head. "What?"

"I wasn't strong enough then. Seeing that we're travelling together… I… I wouldn't want to be a burden to you…" He tossed an apple up and down.

"Umm, so you sort of lost a battle that resulted in only a minor injury to yourself and now you're depressed? Hmph. I though you were better than that." She crossed her arms.

"I…"

Softly, she said, "You've really changed. When I first met you, you were concerned only with defeating them. Now…" She hugged him again. "We're… friends…"

"Tsk, that's rude of you to assume. You'd be a burden if… if I let you get hurt-"

She looked up, and in an instant, their lips locked. _Gah! What-_ "You idiot. Denying feelings will get you killed." Then she immediately pushed him away. "Let's just rest up… I suspect Elaine might have something to say tomorrow."

"Tonight, actually." Standing on the balcony outside were two figures; Elaine and her master.

"Elaine would like to agree to your conditions of battle. Should you defeat her, you will have proven to her that you are a worthy travelling partner," said her master.

Sharl turned to face him. "That chain. I've been thinking about it, and now I understand. That is one of the sacred ten." She turned to Lloyd. "Just like your sword."

The masked figure's eyes gleamed. "Smart girl. This is in fact one of the sacred weapons, just like what all of you wield. I recognize Demon Blade Persephone, Heaven Sol Staff, Crystal Bow Lucia, and the Death Mask Loki. My weapon is the Sealing Chain Asterion."

"Asterion? That's-"

"I didn't come here to chat. Elaine, go on." He held his hand out, encouraging the Glaceon to speak.

She cleared her throat. "Yes, you heard my master right. I do intend to help you achieve your goal. The northern conditions have been difficult, even for us ice types. So… so I need to talk with them. To help my people."

"Elaine and I know the power of them. If you can't defeat her, you'll merely hold us back. We're going to need a strong team."

Lloyd clenched his fist. "It appears that we'll both have some motivation. Masked man, do you have a plant to convince Kai's parents?"

There was a brief pause before he said, "My priority is to nobody but my apprentice. I will do whatever it takes to see her and myself become the strongest. If her parents shall stand in the way, I will disable them."

"You can't kill th-" Sharl was interrupted by him.

"I never said kill, did I little princess? Disable and kill are different things."

"I'm sorry… it's hard to trust somebody who can't show their face."

"All of you… you are so concerned with who or what somebody is. You need to focus on what they will become. I will speak with your mother, Elaine. Good luck."

"Thank you master." She bowed as he jumped off the balcony, then turned to smile at Lloyd and Sharl. "My master is a good Pokemon. It's been almost three years. I trust him, as should you. We will meet tomorrow mid-morning, Lloyd. I hope you're feeling lucky."

"As should you. Range might be your friend, but I hope for your sake that you've got some tricks up your sleeve."

"Big words. Still, I wish you luck. Please be gentle with my friend."

"Wait, what?"

She had already vanished. He looked at Sharl next to him. She looked flustered. "Well, I guess… Elaine approves of our relationship?"

" _Friendship."_

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"Begin!"

The moment the words left Sharl's mouth, an icy arrow narrowly missed Lloyd as he flipped backwards, behind a small ice formation. _Predictable._ The Glaceon stood near the throne very far from where Lloyd was now. The shot had come close enough for Lloyd to feel the air ripple; she was more than precise enough to cripple him even from this distance. He sighed, then threw up one of the berries he had pocketed last night, and watched as it was pierced by an arrow, pinning it against the wall.

"Nice shot," he shouted. _But you're being too quick._ He stuck his sword up, which vibrated as an arrow shattered against it. He jumped up and launched a dark pulse at the ground in front of him, causing an explosion of darkness, and quickly rolled behind one of the icy pillars. He took a deep breath. _Tsk. I only made a little bit of ground._ He peered around the pillar as Elaine looked around. Much to his surprise, she had come fairly close to him. She stood at one of the lower steps, bow down. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Rest in peace, Umbreon."

Lloyd heard a small scraping sound, and jumped back, blocking with his sword as a barrage of frozen needles flew at him. The sound of ice on metal rang throughout the throne room. She slowly walked towards him, the storm of ice seemingly endless. Lloyd barely had time to watch her notch an arrow calmly. "My master says I don't process all the possibilities. But the only clear possibility for you is defeat now, Umbreon."

The cold was getting to his muscles, and he knew he wouldn't be able to block this next direct shot without being impaled by the needles of ice. His Psychic wouldn't be strong enough to stop all the needles, and he lacked a move to melt through it. He braced himself for the frozen attack.

But it never came. Standing between was the masked figure. He ripped both weapons from their hands. "Elaine." Lloyd had never realized how intelligent the masked Pokemon's voice was.

"M-master! I was going to defeat him right here! It was an-"

"Elaine, you need to escape from here. Your mother… she… she's lost it…"

Lloyd and Elaine both stood up straight. "What do you mean, master?"

Lloyd understood. "You disobeyed her orders… You," he said, pointing to the masked Pokemon. "You're the reason."

"She… she wants you dead," said the masked Pokemon quietly. "I… I overheard her say something about poison. Please… you… must leave."

"What's the problem?"

Elaine pulled out a small white crystal. "This is one of the ruler stones. If I can hold onto this, they will still answer to me… but…"

"Your mother will kill you because you disobeyed her? She's crazy!"

Elaine looked down sadly. "Ever since father passed away…"

"Go on now! You take the stone with you!"

Lloyd looked around. "Why don't we all just go?" Sharl had jumped next to Lloyd, and Kai had appeared near Elaine. "We all have a goal! Let's-"

Sharl held out two stones; a pink and red one. "Each kingdom possesses two. I am under the belief that the Queen is in possession of the other one of the North. Is this true?"

Kai and Elaine exchanged a glance, then Kai said, "Correct. If mother does truly intend to poison you… she has become a lot more ill than even when I left."

"We can protect Elaine right? Why don't we defeat her and steal the other stone?"

"We don't know where it is. We may have to stay here for awhile, and the risk of Elaine staying here…" It didn't need to be said. The masked Pokemon was right. "Elaine, go now. We'll tell your mother you ran away. Go to the cave on Sunrise Mountain.

The Glaceon looked at them all, then said, "Alright then." She nodded at Lloyd and Kai, then hugged the masked figure and Sharl before picking up her bow. "I will see you all soon." She ran out of the palace quickly, with a glance back before vanishing.

"Will she be okay?" Sharl murmured.

The masked Pokemon turned around. "You three, come. I will…" They all understood, and followed him through the icy halls.

"So… you come here every so often. Where do you suspect the stone is?" asked Lloyd.

"I don't know. It'd be easy enough to whack her on the head, but we need to get the information from her-"

"From who?" They all turned around, and out of the shadows stepped the older Glaceon. "So you intend to steal my stone? What a bunch of brats. Oh well, at least it wasn't unexpected."

"Elaine isn't here," said her master. "You can't hurt her now."

"So you're betraying me."

"I have a duty to protect Elaine. Even from her own mother."

She yawned. "Well, you've failed."

"What?" Realization dawned on them. Kai shook his head. "No… you…"

The Glaceon smiled. "I poisoned her food last night. It should be kicking in about n-"

She fell to the ground, and behind her stood Kai. "Enough with you. I used to love you, but you're sick. You've been terrible to both me and Elaine. Where is the stone?"

"Like I'd tell you, failure. You're never going to find it, and Elaine is done for. It's for the better. You pair of disrespectful brats…" hissed the queen.

"Hang on…" Sharl looked at the queen's chest. "That is a strange…" A small black crystal glowed eerily as the gem of one of the Glaceon's necklaces. It made even Lloyd uncomfortable. The Espeon ripped it off.

"That's… that's one of the Possession Stones…"

"What is she-"

"Kai? What's… oh my… that's one of the possession stones…" The Glaceon looked tired and surprised; two emotions Lloyd never expected to see together.

"Mother… what… what is this doing here?"

She looked at it, her eyes cloudy. "I… I do not remember. You… please… please save Elaine…" Her ears started tearing. "Oh god, all the terrible things… it's all coming back…"

"What are possession stones exactly?"

"I'll explain later," murmured Kai. "You three, please… save my sister… I must comfort my mother." He hugged his mother, and Lloyd felt a rare pang of envy. _After all the terrible things… he still loves her._

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They searched throughout the day, until the sun had set. The peak they had told her to go to was about one and a half days' journey away. Outside the palace, the weather was obviously terrible. A massive blizzard encircled the entire peak. Next to him, Sharl trudged through the snow, covering herself with a large cloak. Lloyd wrapped an arm around the Espeon, and she looked at him.

"Elaine… I cannot lose her. She's my best friend."

Lloyd knew that pity wouldn't help, so he pulled her closer as they continued to make slow progress.

Up ahead, Elaine's master was also struggling. He had a thick cloak on as well, but he seemed determined to find his student. "Look out. There may be some steep drop-offs that are hidden by the blizzard."

The wind cut through them sharper than any blade Lloyd had experienced, frosty like Elaine's attacks, but from every direction.

The worst part was that there were no tracks. The snow had covered up any footprints that Elaine might have left; all they had to follow was the direction to Sunrise Mountain, where the masked Pokemon was supposedly leading them.

Lloyd knew that it was easy to get discouraged in the intense cold, so he decided to work on something else. "How did you meet Elaine?" he shouted over the howling frozen wind.

"I challenged her. She was so impressed that she wanted to become my understudy. So I agreed."

"Where do you come from?"

"It would be unwise for me to reveal that. Both for myself as well as you, Lloyd."

"Very well." Lloyd exhaled, his breath visible. Next to him, Sharl narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything. "You seem extremely determined to protect Elaine," commented Lloyd. "Why is that?"

He paused at the top of a small outcropping, and looked back. "Look at you, Lloyd. You may not realize it, but you are determined to protect princess Sharl." He turned back around, and Lloyd watched as he took off the cloth momentarily to adjust it. His voice was clear as he spoke without the cover. "Some things need to be protected. Elaine is my responsibility." Lloyd wanted to see what the Pokemon was, but it was too late. The cloth was on again. "We will find her. This chat helped me relax."

"I wouldn't have guessed," said Sharl. "Let's keep going. There's only so far she could have travelled. But she'll blend in with the snow, and she knows this land better than us. So- Lloyd!"

Lloyd barely realized what had just happened until Sharl called out to him. The next thing he knew, he was falling. _How did I miss that?_ Then he felt a hand grab his.

Much to his surprise, Sharl was holding him up above the crevice below. "Nngh… pull yourself up."

"Hang on," murmured the other male, but he barely finished before they heard a low rumble.

"Is that-" began Lloyd.

"Avalanche…" finished Sharl. She strained to turn to the other Pokemon. "I can't pull up Lloyd. Get cover," she grunted. Her voice was strained, and Lloyd knew that they were slipping. The ice made their fingers numb, and Lloyd was heavier than the smaller Espeon. They needed the other's help, but it was too late for that even. He had been a little too far away. Sharl had been right; he needed to get some cover from the avalanche.

Then the rumbling increased. "Here it comes. Let go of me Sharl. Protect yourself."

"You're an idiot if you think I'm leaving the most interesting Pokemon I've met." She smiled, and Lloyd chuckled.

"Heh. You girls. Always letting feelings control you. I made the mistake of going off this cliff. You didn't."

The entire ground was shaking, and Sharl looked back nervously. "Idiot," she murmured, looking back down at Lloyd.

Then the entire world became white as the avalanche engulfed them as the freefell to what should have been their deaths.

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"Lloyd. Lloyd." He awoke feeling numb. Sharl's voice seemed to be coming from a long distance. It felt as if he was swimming through freezing cold water. Then his vision slowly started to focus on the Espeon. She was crouched over him, face full of worry. "Oh thank the gods, you're alright."

"No need to thank them, this is all their fault," he groaned. "Shit, where are we?"

"This is the bottom of a large crevice. Somehow, we survived as the avalanche cushioned and slowed our fall."

Lloyd looked up. The sides of the chasm seemed to be made of almost marble. They looked dark grey and extremely smooth. The night sky was visible, though only a sliver. He sat up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm a little scratched up and really cold, but I'm alright."

The path seemed to continue on either side of them. "No way out, huh?"

She looked down a little, face a little redder. "I didn't want to leave you. You were unconscious, and…" She looked up, trying to hide her embarrassment. "You are the only thing here that's warm at all."

"Well, I guess my heart isn't that cold."

She blinked. "Did you just make a joke?"

"What?"

"Never mind." She brushed some snow off her dress. "Are you hurting?"

Lloyd's arm was aggravated yet again from his battle with Sharl. Elaine's master had also cut his side, which was really painful too. There was a tiny pool of blood where the wound had reopened. "I'll be fine." He jumped to his feet to prove that he was good enough, but she still looked concerned.

"Be careful."

"Don't worry. Just who do you think I am?"

"I think you're an impressive, good looking, smart Umbreon. But even you know your limits. We'll rest here tonight." Lloyd was ready to protest, but she added, "There's no need to impress me. You know that."

He sat down again, then reached into his secret pack. He sighed, painfully removing his cloak and pulling it off his shoulders. "Here."

She gasped. "This… blankets… food… wow…"

"Again, just who do you think I am?" he said with a grin. "I'm prepared for things like this. I've got enough food for both of us but only one blanket and mat."

"We can share," she murmured. Then she shivered. "Brr… it is quite cold."

"Wet clothes," he murmured. Lloyd's entire body was getting numb. "Take off your clothes."

"D-do you mean th-that?" Her face was much more embarrassed.

He huffed. "Not like _that._ Keep your underwear on. The blanket is designed by fire types, made from thick furs of many different species."

"O-okay…" She blushed. "You… you look away while I take off my dress."

"What's your problem? I've seen you in that skimpy 'dress' as you call it. I don't think your undergarments are too different." Hastily, he added, "Nothing sexual. This is just for survival."

"I-I know."

The two of them quickly undressed, avoiding looking at each other, before they both crawled under the blanket. With both of their bodies, it became warm very quickly. "Sharl…"

"Y-yes?"

"You're always so flirtatious, but once we do something serious, why are you so nervous? We've bathed together, but you're more embarrassed about this even though we're not completely naked."

"It… it's just that… I'm surprised. It's easy to plan for something that I know. But if you start it, I'm unprepared." She looked down. "Friends… I've only known you for really a few days. But… but is this what friends do?"

"Huh? Oh…" Lloyd had barely realized that the two of them had wrapped their arms around one another. "I'm sorry…" Her back was soft and a little damp from her clothes. He felt the slight bump of her spine against his fingers.

"It's okay. It feels nice…" She snuggled a little closer to him, her hair draping across his hands. He could feel her heart pound; was his pounding the same? "I know… I know you're all focused on your goal," she began. "But… that's maybe why I'm so attracted to you. Guys are always coming after me being a princess. You're not like them. That's… that's refreshing."

"I doubt it's more refreshing than this cold…"

"You're ruining the moment," she pouted. "Jeez…"

"I'm sorry. It's just… uncomfortable."

"It's uncomfortable for me too. But… but we need to step out of our comfort zone."

"Are you going to suggest-"

"What happened to your parents?"

Lloyd blinked. _Well that changed direction quickly._ "They… well… promise not to tell anyone ever?" Lloyd couldn't believe he was going to give away his past. Maybe the cold was starting to freeze his brain.

"Of course."

He inhaled loudly. "Well then, I suppose I can trust you. My parents were in fact killed when I was seven. In addition to my parents, I had two sisters, Alice and Tia. We weren't anything special, just your average eon family." His memory of that night was still a little cloudy, but he knew enough. "My parents sent me out to fetch water. I went out with the bucket, not a care in the world. I took my time, filling it up slowly at our well." Lloyd blinked. "When I returned, our entire house was engulfed in flames. Standing outside was a massive cloaked Pokemon. Entei."

"So… so that's why…" whispered Sharl.

"That's why I will defeat them. All of them have been terrible. But Entei… he will die at my sword. This is a vow I have sworn to, and why my master agreed to train me. I am determined to taste revenge."

Sharl looked at him, eyes full of understanding. "I see. So you've experienced death and that's why you're bent against them."

"Yeah…"

She smiled. "Alright, thanks for opening up to me. Here is your reward." She had kissed Lloyd before, but never like this. Never on the lips. Until now.

The kiss wasn't slimy, dirty, or even sexy. It was a small kiss, the kind a couple might do as their first. _Well, technically, it was sort of that,_ Lloyd told himself. Sharl had her eyes closed, which confused Lloyd. _Whatever. This is actually pleasant though._ Her breaths were short and quick. Then he saw it. Something in the snow behind Sharl.

Then he pulled away, cautious about what it could be. The Espeon's eyes flashed open. "Wa-was that good enough?"

"It was wonderful."

"Why did you pull away?" She looked a little hurt.

"I… I saw that." He pointed. Sharl frowned, then her eyes glowed bright pink as she used her powers to lift up the object. It flew to her hand, and her fingers closed around it.

"What… wait." She looked up to the top of the crevice, eyes narrowed.

Lloyd already knew what it was. He followed her gaze. "I guess there is no more hiding," he murmured.

Sharl turned to him. "You and I both know what this means. This is our chance."

Lloyd looked at the cloth in his hand; the one that Elaine's master used to cover his identity.

 **Ooh, what's next? Do I reveal who he is? Or how about no? Keep reading and reviewing! Every review will hasten the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Young Girl's Wish**

 _You… you there. Who are you? An… an Umbreon? Oh… so you are not so different from me after all._

"Clearly." Lloyd crossed his arms. "I've heard your story, princess. So many years ago… so long a lot have forgotten. But I haven't."

 _Is that so? It's quite impressive for one to be able to hear me, let alone talk back to me. You seem very confident, young boy._

"I'm young, huh? You left the world of the living when you were 15. I'm older than you right now."

 _Ha, all of you… you should be doing something worthwhile with your life rather than worrying about me._

"You are a cursed demon blade now." Lloyd closed his eyes. "Show yourself." The Umbreon's entire body glowed purple, eyes flashing red. "Let me see you."

 _Huh. That's not going to… wait… I…_ "I'm back…" Lloyd's eyes stopped glowing, his black hair sitting down again. In front of him stood another Umbreon; this one female wearing a frilly black and red dress. Her long black hair floated a little unnaturally, but she was extremely pretty in a cute way. She blinked. "How… you brought me back?"

"I don't have the power to keep you here for a long. It's extremely difficult to keep this power up."

She walked up to Lloyd, her face uncomfortably close to his. Her red irises stared into his. "You've seen death before, haven't you?" she murmured softly.

"I could have told myself that. Despite the fact that you died many years ago, I can say the same."

"You've got spunk, Umbreon." Her hands touched his face. They were warmer than he had anticipated. "How did you manage to summon me?"

"I am currently being trained. I've worked up the ability to summon souls… but only from demonic bodies like you."

"I see. That is impressive." The younger Umbreon pulled his face towards hers and kissed him on the lips. Then she slowly ended it. "You wish to use my power for vengeance. I can feel your anger towards the legendries. It rivals my hatred of them."

Lloyd clenched his fist. "I know what they did to you, princess Persephone. Killed your family in front of you… then they… humiliated… tortured… beat… raped… then sealed…"

"I know what they did to me. You don't need to say it…" Her voice was soft.

Lloyd pushed her hands off his face gently. "I'm sorry. But I will make them pay… I may not be able to kill them, but they will pay."

"How much longer do you think I can keep this physical form?" asked the female Umbreon.

"A little while. How do you seal the pact between us? Do we need to battle each other? A dance?"

She tilted her head. "You don't know?"

"Should I? I never thought it would be something I would need to prepare for. There weren't any documents regarding that."

She slowly slipped off her dress, though there was only a hint of embarrassment on her face. "You're a handsome child… I will show you how to form bonds."

Then she kissed Lloyd again.

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"Lloyd? Are you up yet?"

His eyes flashed open. Next to him, he felt the soft curves of Sharl's slim belly. "Ngh… I was just…"

"Stop that, it tickles. You were squeezing my stomach like it was a piece of bread," she murmured.

"Sorry…"

She sighed. "It's a shame your hands aren't higher up on my body."

"You're indecent for a princess, you know?" He exhaled. "Do you think he found Elaine?"

"I don't know… but I've seen enough to know that he likely did."

"So you felt it too. We've got to find them. I… I must learn who he is! Nobody defeats me and gets away with it."

"Calm down, Lloyd. We've got to get out of this damn chasm first."

Lloyd exhaled. "You're right. I'm sorry…"

"Were you having a nightmare?" she asked.

"No. Just a memory." He picked up Persephone. _Should I introduce them to one another? No…_ Lloyd did feel bad he had not conjured Persephone's body in about a week, and she had been extremely quiet as well… _Soon._

"You look worried," murmured the Espeon. "Are you sure?" There was concern in her eyes.

Lloyd let go of her, and crawled out of the blanket, despite being almost naked. The cold made him shiver. "I need some alone time," he murmured, throwing on his cloak and pants haphazardly, and walked around a bend in the chasm.

"Wait, where…" The Espeon looked ready to chase him, but realized she was half naked. "Be careful, okay?"

Lloyd didn't answer. _I'm sorry, I haven't been able to communicate with the princess around. She'd read my mind._

 _Huh. She's got bigger breasts than me._

 _As she should. Your body is only 15. She's two years older than you appearance wise._

 _Hmph. I'm still annoyed you're all horny over her._

 _I'm not._

 _Shut up._ The spirit of the sword sighed. _Can you summon me my body? Please?_

"Fine," he muttered. He held out the sword in his left hand, and clenched his right fist. He closed his eyes, his black hair beginning to stand straight. Then he turned the blade, holding the blade in his right hand, his left hand still grasping the handle. "Come to be, Persephone. Use my soul as part of your body." Then his eyes flashed red. "Now."

Crouching in front of him was the young Umbreon princess. She stood up, and stretched. "Ah, thank you Lloyd. It's been far too long. You try being trapped in a piece of metal."

"Yeah, no thanks." He stuck the blade into the snow, and hid his hands in his pockets. "How do you feel about our progress?"

"I'm happy." She smiled wickedly; Lloyd imagined they both looked similar when they grinned like that. "They'll pay soon." Then she did a cute giggle. "Alright, I'm just getting giddy over some revenge, hehe." She stood up straight. "Now… about Sharl…"

"What?" Lloyd sat on a large stone. "What about her?"

"You should be careful about getting close to others. It's a recipe for disaster."

"Oh be quiet. You're just envious."

"Hmph." She looked away. "Whatever… don't forget, I was your first."

Lloyd didn't blush or anything, but simply crossed his arms. "I think of it as more of a ritual than actually having sex."

"We both enjoyed it though…" She sighed. "Alright, Espeon. Come out from behind that rock."

The Espeon stepped out. "Uh… Lloyd? Who is this girl who claims to be your first?"

Persephone walked up to Sharl, and looked up at the taller Espeon. "You… you've got a lot of nerve to be hitting on my master."

"M-master?" The Espeon's face was suddenly horrified. "You've got an underage sex slave, Lloyd?"

Lloyd groaned, then pushed the two of them apart. "This is the spirit of my sword, Persephone. While I am in fact her master, we both came together as we have similar interests."

"And because Lloyd and I made love once too…"

"Is this true?" The Espeon's face was reddish.

Lloyd sighed. "It's part of a ritual, since Persephone was sealed within the demonic blade. Only once though."

"Just once? That's like say-"

"Calm down. While _she_ prefers to keep bringing it up, I view it as a ritual. I think of myself as still-"

"I'll be going, Lloyd. Hmph." The female Umbreon quickly dissolved into the sword.

"Eh…" Sharl glared at Lloyd, who was still sitting on the rock. "What the hell was that?"

"That's my sword spirit." Lloyd sighed, jumping down. "She doesn't even have a real body, so I don't think much of it."

"It…" She looked away. "It's still sex…"

Lloyd patted her on the back. "Calm down. It's nothing more than a ritual to combine our spirits into a stronger, more synchronized force."

"B-but-"

He put his hands to her cheeks. "Relax. Let's find a way out now since we're both awake."

Sharl glared at him. "Hmph… you still have to pick up all your stuff though."

Lloyd's arm was hurting a little, but seeing how the Espeon was upset, he huffed. "Fine. I'll do it alone."

Lloyd packed up efficiently, with Sharl ignoring him. They got moving, but the crack in the ground was very generic. The snow slowly turned to ice on the floor. As they went on, it slowly began melting. There was tension between the two of them. It made Lloyd uncomfortable. A few times, he had tried starting up a conversation, but he wasn't sure what to say, and she ignored him for the most part.

There was nothing notable within it, and the sun had risen by the time they encountered the frozen waterfall.

It looked as if it had immediately frozen once the cold hit it. Sharl's hostility had halted immediately, as if she herself had been frozen. "Wow…"

The frozen waterfall was impressive. The sunlight glinted off of it. "Huh…" Lloyd felt as if he should have noticed something, but couldn't. The waterfall didn't seem like necessarily a way out.

Sharl sighed. Lloyd suspected that the sunlight was calming her. The sunlight really did highlight her beauty, even though she was covered in cloaks.

"Sharl… listen… I was inconsiderate towards your feelings…" She didn't look at him, but he sensed she was listening. "So… anyways… I'm sorry."

She started walking away, then paused, and turned around. She huffed. "You really are clueless for a guy as smart as you."

"What does that mean?"

The Espeon looked down. "Well, you know how I feel about you. I asked you to marry me just a few days ago… so… just try think before you say things, you dumb Umbreon." She turned around and continued moving.

Lloyd wasn't too sure whether to be insulted or happy. "Wait, Sharl…"

"Hurry up, will you?"

He huffed, then caught up to her. "Why are you in such a rush?"

She pointed at the waterfall. "I don't know about you, but the temperature is clearly rising. We don't want to drown in this crevice."

 _Shit. That's what I was missing._ "That's a good point. We don't want to get wet either. It's warmer, but it's still damn cold."

"Obviously." The Espeon snapped her fingers. "You're not the only smart one. Let's go."

"Hmph." Lloyd followed behind her. "Well, it looks as if we have about half a day still, so-"

Then they heard a loud cracking noise. "What the-" Sharl turned around. "Oh… oh…"

Lloyd turned around. Normally, he would have tried making a smart comment, but when there is a lake's worth of water rushing towards you… well… "Run!"

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The two of them were standing on a rock that was just above the raging current of water. Most other Pokemon would be prepared to drown and die. But obviously not these two.

They were both deep in thought; this was the first time either of them had been in a truly life threatening situation together… well, a situation where they had time to think.

 _Sharl cannot use her psychic powers to lift us up, as she cannot lift herself, or me high enough for that matter. Neither of us can fly, neither of us are designed to swim, and neither of us can refreeze the water. But… hmm… shadow moving? No. It needs to be in sight, and I can see no shadows where I could safely move us._

He looked at Sharl, who was equally deep in thought. "Any ideas, princess?"

She didn't look up, but shook her head. "I've got nothing… my attacks… won't work at all. Neither will yours…"

He looked up. The sun was directly above the chasm now. "Shit…" Lloyd had trained to become immune to the weakening effects of sunlight on his species, but it still made him itchy.

Sharl, on the other hand, smiled. "Oh, this is so nice…" She stretched. "Ah well, maybe this sunlight will help me think better."

Lloyd looked down. "Hmm… you'd better hurry then, because we're in a lot of trouble. I hope you like wet feet…"

"Wet… kyaa!" She looked down, then calmed herself with the move of similar name. "Well, we'd better hurry…" She looked at the top, contemplating their options.

Lloyd bit his lip, then took a deep breath. _Relax. You're better than this._

"Don't worry…" The Espeon was holding his arm. "I can sense your worry. We'll find a way out of this."

He smiled at her. "I know." He wrapped his arm around her. "We'll find a way out of this…"

She looked down. "I… I know…" Softly, she added, "I don't understand you…"

"Hey Lloyd, no touching my friend!" They both looked up from where the voice came from. On the top of the crevice was a figure. Lloyd recognized the voice.

"Elaine!"

"Hang on you two, we'll get you out of there." It was hard to see what she was doing, but in front of the rock spawned a neat platform of ice. "Hop on it!"

Lloyd and Sharl did as she said. "I don't really see how this is going to work… we'll still be trapped down-"

"You're not thinking. Together, if we both use psychic and aim it at the ice, it could work."

"You're right." Lloyd shook his head, then began using his move in conjunction with Sharl. "C'mon…" He grit his teeth, and the platform slowly started shaking.

"It's working!" said Sharl in a strained voice. "But… nghh…"

Lloyd felt it. They didn't have the strength in order to pull it all the way out. They had only moved it just above the water, and they were both really tired. "Shit…" hissed Lloyd. Then he lost concentration, and the ice they were on slowly started turning.

"Lloyd… uh, we're… turning." Sharl and Lloyd slowly started moving, and then the entire block started to fall as Sharl dropped her attack too.

Then Lloyd slipped first, followed immediately by Sharl. "No!"

They both splashed into the water. "I… I hate water!" shouted the Espeon.

Lloyd was more shocked by the cold. He didn't even try swimming. He just let himself sink. _It's my fault we fell into this canyon. It's my fault she's angry. It's my fault we fell off the ice. I should just… die… but Sharl… I cannot…_

"So just like that, huh? I thought you were better than this, Umbreon." He heard a voice. _Persephone?_

He opened his eyes to see Sharl reaching to him. But they would both drown if she did that… Then he felt himself being pulled upwards. "Sharl… how did you become so strong…?" Then they were both launched out the water, and landed painfully on the frozen platform. Lloyd coughed up some frozen water. Next to him, Sharl was doing the same. "H-how did you…"

Standing over the two of them was none other than Elaine's master. His entire body was soaked with water, and he had covered his nose and mouth with a light blue cloth. "Are you two alright?"

Lloyd stood up. "I'm fine." He shook off some water; the cold made his body ache and shiver.

"Neither of you look fit enough right now."

Lloyd was going to argue, but Sharl didn't look so good either. She was doing worse than Lloyd. "How do you plan to get us out of here?"

He looked at them, then said, "Both of you… I would like to thank you for your help in finding Elaine. So don't think too much of this."

"What?" But it was too late. Lloyd felt a finger slam into the side of his neck, and fell to the ground unconscious.

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 _Why? Why would he come down to us just to kill us? It makes no sense. And Sharl… Sharl! No… she…_

"Is he awake yet?"

"They'll be alright, stop worrying." The first voice was female, and a little worried. The second voice was male, but a little softer. Then Lloyd recognized the voices.

"I'm okay, umph…" He opened his eyes, and rubbed his sore neck. "What happened?"

The pretty Glaceon looked up from Lloyd to her master. "Master got you guys out of the sticky situation. You… you should be grateful." She smiled at Lloyd, and Lloyd groaned.

"You pressure pointed me… why?"

He looked down at them, then said, "If you knew how I had pulled you from the canyon, it would have put my identity at stake." He stood up. "My identity… well, Elaine has seen me now. But it is dangerous for anyone else to know now." He held out a hand, and helped pull Lloyd to his feet. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah… just… sore… in the arms… in the legs… actually, everywhere." He looked around. "Where is Sharl?"

They pointed to the small fire which Lloyd had not noticed earlier. On the other side was the unconscious Espeon. "She doesn't look so good. I actually didn't need to do anything to knock her out. She was unconscious by the time I disabled you."

Lloyd walked sorely over to her. She did look out of it. He waved over Elaine. "You know about the cold. Is this shock?"

"Likely. The sun was up, but the problem could be that she panicked. She was screaming when you were under the water."

"Really?"

The Glaceon glared at him. "You really are as dense as she says, huh? She obviously is infatuated with you."

"I know." Lloyd leaned over the Espeon. He felt the intense gaze of Elaine as she watched, while her master watched from the corner of his eye. Lloyd leaned over and kissed her on the lips, gently as possible. _Please don't let her get hurt because of me._ He pulled back.

Elaine watched, her face reddish. "Th-that was so adorable!"

The cloaked Pokemon crossed his arms. "Hmm… not something I would have tried first to wake someone, but that was sweet of you."

Elaine turned around. "So you do think romantically sometimes… I thought you hated that stuff."

"Romance and sex are facts of life. You… me… Lloyd… we all wouldn't be here without that stuff. It's something I respect."

"Hmm…" Suddenly, the mysterious Pokemon seemed a lot less scary. "Can I ask you something?" questioned Lloyd.

"Go ahead."

"I'm not going to ask about who you are, because I'm sure you get a lot of that. Rather… why did you decide to mentor Elaine? She's a very skilled Pokemon."

He turned around, then started speaking. "Lloyd… I know you better than anyone here. Not because I have past experience with you, but because I was you."

"You… were me?"

He pointed at Lloyd's chest. "Yes. You're wondering how I was able to defeat you so quickly earlier… I knew what you would do. When I was your age… 6 years ago or so… I was just like you. I just had to think about what I would have done."

"But…" Lloyd hated that he had been predictable. "What does that have to do with training?"

"I don't know your story. But I've quickly realized that, while I may be strong, there will always be others who are better at others. Elaine is very talented at a distance because of the nature of arrows. My whip is punishing at a moderately close range. We've trained together as a team."

"For what?"

Elaine looked down. "Master was kind enough to train me. When you were unconscious, he revealed to me who he was and his past. I… I cannot tell you anything. I am sorry."

Lloyd smirked at her master. "Huh, I guess you are determined. My parents were killed when I was a child. I would like revenge. Is your reason better?"

"More or less so." He turned around. "Revenge can blind you from what really matters. It blinded me for a decade." He slowly walked to the edge of the crevice and stared down. "You'll realize it."

"No need to be so cryptic…" Lloyd thought about what he had said. _"You'll realize it."_ _What the hell does that mean?_

"He's always been that way." Elaine watched her master for a little bit, then turned back to Lloyd. "He saved me. I was lying on the snow, prepared to die. Then he rescued me." Softly, she added, "You will realize what I mean."

"Look who's being cryptic now," muttered Lloyd. "You and Sharl are best friends. Would… would you be okay with me… pursuing a…"

"Sexual relationship? Totally." Elaine shrugged. "Sheesh, it's like pulling teeth. She's the one who wants your babies or stuff." She rested a hand on Sharl's forehead. "Just let her know you're interested."

"Babies? Where to start… they're annoying, and-"

"You were one too at one time," pointed out the Glaceon.

Lloyd huffed. "I'll tell her. I'll tell her that I really like her."

The Glaceon smiled. "Oh Sharl, you lucky girl."

"Quiet." Lloyd sighed. "Shouldn't we be more worried about her?"

"She's getting up." Elaine frowned at Lloyd. "That's why I said she was lucky. Look."

"Ungh…" The Espeon's eyes opened. "I… Lloyd." She stared up at him. "We're alive."

Lloyd nodded happily. "We are."

"We'll spend the night here," said Elaine. "You two can regain your strength. We'll head back to the palace in the morning."

"Did he tell you about your mother?"

"The possession stone… I warned her…" murmured Elaine, then she brushed it off. "Rest up. I need to talk with my master." She stood up and headed near the chasm near her mentor.

"Are you okay?"

Sharl nodded. "I'm not weak… though I am cold right now…"

"I'm sorry… the blankets I keep are all wet."

"Hmph. You nearly killed us. And you got the blankets wet."

"Yeah."

"It's alright though."

He smiled. "Last night… when we kissed… well… I just wanted to say that I felt… more than just happy."

"I know… that's why… I thought you'd like it." She blushed. "I… I couldn't leave you. That's when I realized… well…"

Lloyd hugged her. "You don't need to say it. I feel the same way, princess."

"R-really?"

"Yeah, really."

She smiled cutely. "Then if you desire my body, don't ask. Just do…"

"Even in a time like this, you're still perverted, huh…"

The Espeon giggled, then said, "How was making love with that cute Umbreon? Was it enjoyable?"

"Yeah."

"Even with a girl with such a small bust?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I…" The Espeon looked down. "You've never shown any interest towards my body. Why is that?"

Lloyd blinked. "You've got a great body. I've stared at you numerous times."

"You can feel free to touch me whenever… only lucky Umbreons are allowed," she whispered.

"I know you're trying to seduce me, but I also know you'll become embarrassed and get mad at me if I try."

Softly, she murmured, "You don't know until you try."

"I don't? Hey…" She had grabbed his left hand and pushed it under her cloak. "See? I'm not hurting you…"

"I notice you get horny at night… that makes no sense, but…" He gently squeezed, and she blushed.

"Enjoying it?"

He moved his hand off. "The time is obviously not now. Sex isn't all there is, you know."

"I know. I was just teasing you." She blushed. "Do you want to cuddle again?"

"Maybe tomorrow." He stood up. "Love isn't something that can be rushed."

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"Well well, it's good to see you're all well." Kai stood near the entrance of the palace, tossing his mask. "Especially you, sister."

The Glaceon smiled. "How is mom? I heard what happened…"

"You can find out. She's back to her old self. Well, sort of. She's locked herself away once she found out she poisoned you and banished me. But she'll be pleased to find out you are all right."

Lloyd was about to walk into the palace, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Elaine's master. "The family will sort it out themselves. In the meantime, you and I need to have a chat."

He looked to see Sharl, Kai, and Elaine all walking in. "What about Sharl…?" Lloyd turned back around. "What is it then?"

"You see it don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"That revenge isn't the most important thing."

Lloyd thought about Sharl briefly, then pushed it away. "Perhaps. But you-"

"You thought about the Espeon. I know."

Lloyd held up a hand. "Impressive. But-"

"Anyone could have said that. No, you're wrong. Only someone who was previously as confident as you could have detected that."

Lloyd narrowed his eyes. "Not bad."

"I know you probably think I'm lecturing you. But I speak from experience." The other Pokemon turned around and crossed his arms. "When you're about to die… when you're in so much trouble you know you shouldn't escape… revenge won't fuel you. Revenge won't allow you to draw the most out of your spirit and body." He paused. "It's love. Not just romantic, but the kind you feel to your family. The desire to protect those closest to you. That is what will push you beyond what should be possible."

Lloyd thought of it. Anger… anger wasn't what he had felt when falling. He had thought of Sharl. Revenge wasn't what he had thought of when drowning. Sharl had been the one he had thought of. "You could be right…"

"Could I? I could. Losing oneself to revenge is a sickness. Pass me your sword."

"Huh?" Normally, Lloyd would not let anybody near his sword unless he was cutting, but… "Fine."

He passed the sword, and the masked Pokemon unsheathed Persephone. "As I thought. You've formed a pact with Persephone. Impressive… but dangerous."

"What do you mean?"

The Pokemon laughed. "I hear you, spirit. You don't like being wielded by someone who you have not formed a pact with. But I don't intend to use you. You've got a lot of hatred young girl."

Lloyd quickly realized this Pokemon had a way to understand Persephone. _But how?_ Lloyd decided not to push. He didn't need to.

"How can I understand you? I've heard your story. The princess… you are similar to me. Someone with vengeance. But I've let go. You have not. Yet I understand your wish, young girl. Your wish for vengeance. That is why you agreed to join Lloyd. I'm sorry." He sheathed the sword, and handed it back to Lloyd.

"Uh, what did she say?"

 _Man, that guy is convincing. He nearly convinced me._ Persephone snorted. _Who the hell does he think he is?_

"Persephone is an extremely powerful sword. But her rage… it may or may not be holding you back. I'm leaning towards her wish holding you back."

 _Damn masked man…_

"Why is he a man and I'm still a boy?"

"Your sword is cute though. Her spirit at least. But she's little crazy too. Just look out."

"Persephone is good. She won't hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it."

The masked Pokemon turned around. "Tell Elaine I've got somewhere to be. I've got responsibilities to my other… students."

"What?"

But before Lloyd could say anything, the mysterious Pokemon asked one last question. "Who's to say you deserve to die and I don't? Who is the one who decides those things? Just remember that." Then he jumped down the side of the mountain, sliding down on his feet, until he was a small speck.

"Such a hasty retreat… hmph. Sorry he insulted you, Pesephone."

 _Don't worry about it._ Now the spirit Umbreon sounded a little more confused than angry. Lloyd decided not to push it. "Let's go inside."

They walked past the snowy courtyard, and stopped at a staircase in the passage to the throne room. "This way, I think."

 _You don't need to talk aloud. I can't really do anything._

Lloyd walked up the stairs. He heard crying up above, and assumed it was from the royal family. He stopped briefly. _Family…_ Then he walked up the stairs. Even these seemed to be made of ice, as did the hand rails.

Then he came to the door, a little open. He was hesitant; he didn't know exactly why, but…

Then it opened all the way. Inside, Elaine's mother was holding the jewel of possession. "Mother… you never told me why you used the jewel…"

"I had hopes of bringing back your father. As you know, he passed away when you were at a young age…"

Kai butted in. "But you knew the risks! You can lose yourself if you use those cursed stones!"

"I knew the risks. I simply wanted… I wanted to make sure Nifrei agreed with how I was raising you…"

"Dad wouldn't have wanted you to do that though," argued Elaine. "But we've become strong now. You don't need to blame yourself."

"The bonds of a family are strong, aren't they?" He looked to his side in surprise. Sharl had snuck to his side.

"They are." He watched enviously. This was something that no matter how hard he trained, no matter how strong he became, would never be his. He would never experience family. "I never talked to you a lot about your mother."

"Yeah you did. I started crying though…"

"Still touchy?"

Sharl looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well… you looked up to your mother. She helped train you in magic, and you said she was stronger than you, no?"

"She was."

"Despite her being better than you, you still loved her unconditionally, right?"

Sharl nodded. "Obviously!"

Lloyd watched the family have a little argument, though he wasn't listening to their words. "Your father? You said he died after you were born. Do you remember him?"

Sharl sighed. "Elaine and Kai's father died due to some illness. My mother was in a battle against the South. My father… he…" She looked at Lloyd, then huffed. "Listen, there are some things… how do I put this?"

"Just tell me."

Sharl shook her head. "Lloyd. You know I trust you. And I know you trust me. But there are some things I just don't want to talk about. My father is one of them."

Lloyd had never pushed her father as an issue. She had given him a succinct answer earlier. But now… he decided not to pry. "I hardly remember my family. I remember the way they looked, and a few special memories… but I didn't know them. I don't remember their personalities at all." Wishfully, he added, "I hope they were nice Pokemon."

The two eons watched the others, who were now all hugging happily.

"Their bonds are stronger than I'll understand."

The older Glaceon looked at Lloyd and Sharl. "Princess Sharl… I'm sorry about your mother. She and I were good friends…"

"It's done for. I don't need sympathy for it." Sharl smiled. "When we return back, I can show you her grave."

"I'd like that." She smiled, then turned to Lloyd. "And you… thank you for helping return my daughter to me. I am in your debt."

Lloyd decided to be upfront. "I am aware of the tensions and lack of food making life difficult, especially for the Northern region. I would like your children to accompany me to confront the legendries."

The older Glaceon looked at them. "If they want to…"

"I would like to," said Elaine. "It's my responsibility as ruler."

"I as well. Stronger enemies, stronger me."

She blinked. "I have no right to keep that from you. I understand the risks… but… I can let you make the decisions. My daughter already has possession of the two stones you'll need. I demand you spend the night."

"Why is that?"

"You two are obviously not used to the cold. You'll need food to be warm and prepare for the trek to the Eastern capitol."

"You must tell me about Leviathan! The master Gyarados… I must beat him!"

"So excited," muttered Sharl.

The queen held up her hand. "Hang on. Leviathan is a difficult one to explain." She thought, then shook her head. "Leviathan obviously cannot walk on land. He's a serpent Pokemon. To battle him… you'd be crazy. He's caused flooding in his city due to his extraordinary strength. He winds and swirls like nothing, strangling enemies." Her eyes were wide, then she leaned back, patting her daughter on the head. "Or so I've heard. We always meet at neutral locations. You've been there, Elaine."

"Naturally, it's where all four regions intersect," pointed out the younger Glaceon, pushing off her mother's hand irritably. "But since Leviathan is a water type and cannot actually fly or anything, he can't meet us. So he normally sends whatever Pokemon he trusts to give us news and do agreements on his behalf."

Lloyd nodded. "I see how it is. May I ask a question that only rulers might understand?"

"Go on, Umbreon."

"Three of the four current rulers are based off of out species, starting at Eevee. There were four royal families of you, but what happened to the East?"

"That's a question whose answer even I cannot say." She pointed to the sword on his side. "That is one of the sacred weapons, and one with a spirit within it. I'd try asking her what happened."

 _Sorry Lloyd… that's crossing the line._

"What line?" he murmured.

 _The royal family of the East deserved what they got. They followed the legendries, and as such, my hatred is equal to them. What happened was only fair._

 **Man, I tried my best to flesh out and slow down the pace a little. You'll tune in for the next chapter, right? Please read and review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Web**

"Hmm… Asterion is a strange weapon." Sharl seemed to be thinking hard. "If only I had my books…"

"What do you mean?" Lloyd and Sharl were walking ahead of the siblings. "There's a lot of information on it?"

She twitched her pronged tail. "No necessarily. I do remember that Asterion is designed to be a check of sorts to all other weapons, including yours and mine. Contact with them can disable their powers. Asterion is arguably the most dangerous of them all."

 _Do you know about Asterion?_ He decided to see if Persephone knew anything.

 _Not really. That weapon is older than me. Not all of us have spirits either. None of the other three here have spirits as far as I know._

"Hmm… so is it a weapon that has been passed down?"

"I do not know." Sharl sighed. "You'll probably never face him. Don't worry about it. Focus on Master Leviathan. He's the next threat. He's massive, unlike the rest of us."

Lloyd tried to imagine a Pokemon that big and powerful. Lloyd's style was dissecting an opponent with precision. Massive tidal waves would make it virtually impossible to get close to the Gyarados. He couldn't really imagine it. But Lloyd was never one to turn down a challenge either. "I'll have to meet him first. I've heard he's not as aggressive and strength hungry as the rest of you, so maybe he'll just hand over the stones and be done."

"He's one of the strongest supporters of the legendries though. At least that's what my mother told me. He's a strong advocate of the legendries."

They had all left the mountains a day ago. Now, they were passing through some pleasant hills reminiscent of the West. The sun was starting to rise in the East. Lloyd put his hands in his cloak's pocket, and put up his hood to keep the sunlight from directly hitting his face. "I'll beat him. Don't you worry, Sharl."

She looked at him. "I worry for you…" She looked ahead again. "The East is known for having powerful storms along the coastlines here…" She turned to face the sunrise. "I wonder if master Leviathan is the one causing them."

Lloyd pushed any negativity out of his head. "Don't worry about me. I can handle myself."

"Sharl!" Elaine called from behind. "Are you looking forward to meeting the last of us in person?"

"A little bit." Sharl slowed down, and Kai took the Espeon's spot next to Lloyd.

He put his hands behind his head. "Elaine knows who he is."

"I know."

"She won't even tell me, so I would drop it."

Lloyd had been pressuring the Glaceon to give up what she knew on her master, but she had stayed loyal to him, insisting that Lloyd would realize it once her master chose to. "She's tough."

"I heard she had you on the ropes before he intervened." The Jolteon side-eyed Lloyd.

"Nothing I couldn't have gotten out of." Lloyd shrugged. "Your sister is impressive. She'll be a good ally to have."

Kai turned around to look at the two females who were deep in conversation, chatting about something Lloyd wasn't interested enough in to pay attention. "She still strongly insists she has a lot to learn from him." Kai turned around again. "She's very strong you know. Even now, she may be stronger than me. Don't take what she says likely." Dangerously, he added, "You're not perfect. One day, you're going to lose a battle and really pay for it."

"I know. That's something my master told me. But if I don't believe in myself, then I'll lose for sure."

"Your master is a wise man."

"I've grown to respect you all. But before you… he was the only Pokemon I respected… or remember really." Lloyd remembered one of the numerous quotes his master had told him to remember. "He taught me a lot. Might really is the driving force. Without it, we'd all collapse."

Kai blinked. "You're right. That's as true as its ever been. In these tough times, might isn't important for us. But for the people as well. They don't even know us, but they're relying on us. They need heroes. And we're the closest things to them right now."

"That's deep." Lloyd rested his hand on Persephone. "But I'm far from a hero."

"Aren't we all?"

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The masked Pokemon stood on a hilltop above the Eastern capitol, Velor. Asterion rested against his hip. He looked up at the sun rising across the vast ocean past the massive city. Wind blew across the grassy hill, and he took off the cloth to enjoy it. Eyes closed, long hair blowing in the breeze, he sighed before contemplating his next move.

Everything so far had gone according to plan. Elaine now knew who he was and where he would be. But he had not told her anything more. She wouldn't like what his next step was… _But it's for the better. Better for everyone._

He remembered what he had told Lloyd. _"Losing oneself to revenge is a sickness."_ He had felt similar to the Umbreon before. But now… could it launch the Umbreon to power beyond his own? He had realized that his own thirst for revenge was not strong enough. But there was also no reason to say Lloyd wasn't filled with more desire, and Persephone was a tool that fed on vengeance.

He shivered. The Umbreon could both be a valuable tool, an ally arguably stronger than himself. But Lloyd could also become an adversary that would stand in the way of his goals. He gripped the sacred weapon, and murmured, "You'll have to seal his sword when we fight."

 _Mmm… how delicious… a cute weapon… I'll enjoy sealing her._

"That sounds dirty."

 _I know your plan. You're not much better._

"True. But I know you'll help me."

The chain sighed, then was silent.

"I've decided that my next move might hurt them… Elaine… Lloyd… Sharl… Kai… they'll be hurt." He felt uncomfortable at the thought of what they'd be going through mentally and physically. He had sworn to protect Elaine, but what he planned to do now was the opposite. He exhaled, then put on the clothe over his mouth. "I'll do what I must."

He turned to the city, more futuristic than any of the others. He smiled. "I await you, Lloyd. I'm not going to go easy."

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"Lloyd… that… that… ngh…"

"What are you two doing?" Kai peered from behind a large tree. The four eons had settled near a nice flowing stream, sleeping against a large fruit tree.

Lloyd sighed. "I'm just rubbing her back. She said it was tight…" Teasingly, he added, "Though you were making it a lot more sexual than it needed to be."

"It feels nice… I mean, you're better at this than I'd expect."

Lloyd shrugged. "When I was real young, my master would get sore sometimes, and ordered me to loosen his back. I've perfected my technique at this kind of thing."

"Yeah, you're pretty great at this."

"What, not going to say something dirty?"

Sharl turned around and stuck her tongue out playfully. "I'll let you off the hook tonight, since I needed this." She exhaled. "That's the spot…"

Lloyd did take the time to enjoy the gentle warmth coming from her soft, smooth skin. He had touched her bare skin before, but he had never taken the time to appreciate how perfect it was. He almost felt bad about thinking he planned to slash her. "Your skin is very nice," he casually commented.

"I can tell." She giggled. "That tickles. Really…"

"Sorry." Lloyd shook his head then continued to apply pressure. He turned around and realized that Kai had vanished. Lloyd turned back to Sharl. "Your council is pushing you to get married, right?"

She huffed. "I'd prefer not to talk about that, but I don't really have a choice it seems."

"Sorry."

"No, it's alright. You don't have to beat around the bush. Yeah, my council is pushing me to get married so I can become an actual queen." Lloyd turned around as she slowly dressed herself again. When he looked again, she was still wearing nothing but her underwear. She covered up her half naked body, embarrassed. "What are you doing?"

"Come on now…"

"Sorry… it's just unexpected. But turn around!" Lloyd turned around again, then finally, Sharl told him he could look. "Sheesh, you don't have to keep staring…"

"You've got a nice body. It's hard to turn away." More seriously, he added, "Didn't you have lots of suitors?"

She brushed her hair. "Yeah."

"None of them were good enough for you?"

"Quite frankly, no. You're the first one," she admitted, looking away. "But you did some stupid things in that crevice. You nearly killed us."

"I'll make it up to you soon."

"What do you mean?" She turned towards him shyly.

"I'll protect you. You were willing to risk you life for me, jumping into the icy water, holding me up above the icy chasm. It's only fair that I owe it to you."

"You'll protect me? I don't need th-"

Lloyd smiled. "You underestimate me. I won't screw up again."

Sharl sighed. "You're so cocky."

"So are you."

"You're not wrong, I guess. But I'll work for my people. I'm helping you for their sake, and yours obviously."

Lloyd looked at her gently. "We all have our motives. But yours might be the best." He held her hand affectionately. "You really are a kind Pokemon, Sharl. I wish I was as well-intentioned as you."

"Personally, I like your hunt for vengeance. It's kind of dark and… and hot."

"Hot? That's a strange way to describe vengeance… I feel calm…"

She smiled. "You're so confident, but awkward. But I am too I guess… so maybe that's why we get along."

He nodded. "You know, we really do." He clasped her hand tighter. "We really do…" Quietly, he thought, _I want to protect you._

"I heard that," she murmured.

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Lloyd woke up, and rubbed his eyes. "What is it?"

Sitting next to him was Kai. "Shit, get up!"

Lloyd jumped to his feet. "Calm down, what's wrong?!"

"The two girls went to bathe, and now… they've vanished! Oh god, mom's going to kill me if I lose Elaine…" The two of them quickly ran to the flowing river.

"Relax, I'm sure…" His voice trailed off as he saw the girls' belongings. More precisely, their clothes. "Okay, this isn't good…"

Kai cussed. "Are you kidding me?" He rubbed his hair. "Why would somebody in the middle of nowhere kidnap them?"

"Because they both are wearing expensive dresses?"

"Yeah… money huh? But then… oh god, I'm sick. Probably some pervert…"

Lloyd shook his head. "I don't think any guy could kidnap them. They're strong enough. But we don't have their weapons…" In the back of his mind, he thought, _Who is even here?_ They hadn't seen any houses or farms since they had left the shrine.

"It can't be somebody we've met before. But then… argh! We've got to find them!"

"You don't say… let's go."

"You know, it is strange though." The two males ran around the edge of the river. "I've got a bad feeling about this Lloyd." The Jolteon stopped, and Lloyd frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" Kai shook his head. "I don't know. There's something really dirty about this whole thing. Normally, I'd be worried about it being some pervert… but they wouldn't be caught that easily…"

Lloyd looked across the river. _If I wanted to kidnap two girls… I'd cross the river._ "I think I know where we should look next."

"Where?" Kai turned around.

"If I wanted to kidnap both of them, I'd cross the river. It's going to make it hard for us to follow."

Kai held up a hand, and shook his head. "Actually, while the river is a viable idea… it's highly unlikely anyone could carry them across the river. It's a strong river… even a fighting type would struggle to carry two fully grown Pokemon. But," he added, "Crossing the river is a good way to lose pursuers. They must have followed whoever it was willingly."

Kai was right. That did worry Lloyd. "You really care for your sister, don't you?"

"I do. She tried to protect me, now it's my turn."

Lloyd instinctively thought to his two younger sisters. "You two are lucky you have each other."

"I know."

Lloyd threw off his cloak and shoes, wearing nothing but his pants. He held his sheathed blade in one hand. Next to him, Kai undressed as well, before holding onto mask. "I can pull you across easily if I use it."

"You tire quicker when you use it though, don't you? No, save it for when we need it. I guarantee you we'll need it."

"Alright."

Lloyd took a look at the dark blue water. It looked cold and was flowing quickly. He dove in to avoid worrying about it. It was warmer than he expected, but the current was also stronger than he anticipated. He quickly began propelling himself through the water, his injuries not hurting the slightest. The water pushed against his skin, trying to hold him back, but Lloyd was strong enough to push himself through.

When he finally came out at the other side, Kai was already waiting for him, shaking water off himself. "I hate getting wet."

Lloyd huffed, and pulled himself to his feet, using Persephone as a brace. "As do I… damn… that was a tough river."

Kai froze. "Hang on…" He held up his dagger, water dripping from his body. "I hear something…"

Lloyd heard it too. "Something is in the grass," he whispered, drawing Persephone. Kai grabbed his mask, getting ready to attack. "Come to me Persephone." The blade glowed purple, and Lloyd held out his hand, launching a blast of darkness towards the rustling grass.

It immediately stopped. "Huh… let's see what it was…" Kai walked towards where the movement had been.

Then Lloyd felt it. His instinct. _Oh shit, it's a tr-_ "Kai!" He reached out as time seemed to slow down. But it was too late. In a bright flash, the Jolteon was pushed back slightly. Lloyd saw it, the blood of his friend dripping out. "No!" It happened quickly, but Kai stepped back as he took the slash.

"Shit, I got careless…"

For a moment, Lloyd thought he was fine, but then the Jolteon collapsed forward. "N-no… Kai…" Lloyd wasn't sure what to do, but he didn't have a choice.

She stepped out of the tall grass, her eyes full of wicked charm. She didn't look at the Jolteon in front of her. Lloyd wasn't sure if Kai was dead, but the slash had cut him right shoulder to left hip diagonally. "Wh-" Lloyd took a breath. _Do not panic._ "Well well, Sylveon. It looks like we have an Eon party here, no?"

She wore a very unusual looking dress, vey long and thick. It covered her entire body in a long shiny red print. It wasn't loose, but less form-fitting than Sharl's dress. She held a fan in each of her hands, one of them stained red with Kai's blood. Her pink hair was shorter than Sharl's as well. Resting below her neck were the signature feelers Lloyd had researched with his master when taking note of each species.

"It seems we do!" she giggled. She smiled at Lloyd cutely. "I've been following you for a day now! You're all so strong! Even the two girls tried their best to put up a fight! But you… Lloyd… I want to break you! You… an inferior dark type to my fairy… how delicious…" She tilted her head and licked Kai's blood off the fan in a sexual way. "I hope your blood is half as delicious, Umbreon…" Lloyd was scared. This Pokemon was not only a type advantage above him, but also crazy. Crazy Pokemon were nearly impossible to predict, and she had done some serious damage to Kai. Lloyd didn't know if Kai was still even alive. Fear was something Lloyd rarely felt, but now… "You look scared… I love that look!"

Lloyd slashed Persephone through the air. "Those of us fighting for something are the most dangerous. I don't know what you did with the two princesses, but you'll pay for this."

"Oh boy, a _hero_! Wants to make me pay with vengeance… how boring! I would just love to make you my servant! Or I could kill you… hmm, decisions, decisions."

"You're not going to do that, I guarantee you. You tell me where the girls are and I'll let you go."

"The girls? They've already been dealt with. They can't help you now."

Lloyd tightened his grip on Persephone. _You there, Persephone?_

 _Yeah. Let's kill this bitch._

"Goodbye!"

Immediately, he saw her move as quick as Kai, those twin fans slashing at him. Lloyd barely ducked under the same attack that had caught Kai, and rolled underneath.

"Very good! All the more fun I will have!" She gave Lloyd a smile he saw in the mirror sometimes. "Come on now! Give me all you've got!" She opened her mouth, and Lloyd saw it, a different move from Sharl's, but similar. "Moonblast!"

Dark Pulse would be overpowered, so he had only one other offensive move in Psychic.

The blast of the move disrupted her attack just enough for Lloyd to block it with Persephone, though it pushed him back a little. _Ow… sheesh. Don't forget Lloyd, I can't repeatedly take hits. I'll be unconscious and useless if I take to many hits._

 _I know._ "That all you got? I can do this all day… woah!"

He barely had time to jump over the fan as she threw it. "So can I!" she said happily. He turned around, and barely avoided it as it flew back to her. "Not bad!"

"Tsk, just-"

"Who do you think I am? Well, I am better than you, Umbreon. And I hope that you're ready to meet your maker!"

"One day, I'll die and be defeated. But not at your hands, Sylveon. I won't lose to you!"

She opened her mouth, and the ball of light began forming. Lloyd pulled out his needles, glinting in the moonlight. He whipped them at her, and she dodged it quickly. It did halt her attack, though, and Lloyd took the time to set up Double Team. He held up his hands, closed his eyes, and waved them to create the copy of himself. "Deal with this."

The Sylveon was clearly caught off guard. "Huh…" She was less poised than Sharl when he had used the same technique. "Tsk, what an annoyance."

He lunged towards her, sword outstretched. "Mind yourself," he hissed.

She suddenly erupted into a bright flash of light, and Lloyd was momentarily blinded. "Can't face the light, Umbreon?" Then pain sliced through his left leg. He staggered back, eyes slowly becoming acquitted to the darkness again.

 _Fuck… Flash…_ "Are you feeling it, Umbreon? The delicious taste of pain?"

"Ngh… you'll have to do better than that." There didn't seem to be any muscle damage; Lloyd had gotten lucky. That didn't mean it felt good. "But you're not bad."

"Like you have any right to tell me that." She whipped out the two fans, and launched them at him.

Lloyd knocked them away with Persephone, and held out his hand. He had been working with Sharl on his telekinetic powers with Psychic, and it paid off here. He was able to stop their momentum and fling them a fair distance away.

Unfortunately, he was vulnerable when directing the attacks, and when he opened his eyes, he was slammed in the chest by a Moonblast. It flung him back into the thicker grass. He was thankful it cushioned his fall, but felt weak. "Shit…" He knew the attack tended to have weakening affects, and knew that this would force him to a more physical game.

"Fan stealer…" she grumbled, looking through the thick grass. "Unbelievable. You don't take a girl's fans…"

He flipped to his feet, and looked to see where the Sylveon had gone. He was feeling a little dizzy, but it was surprisingly not that bad. Perhaps he was still growing stronger. He slashed through the grass angrily, and came face to face with her again.

"Now, where were we?" he murmured, shooting her his most deadly look.

"Boy, you look pissed. I love that! Come at me!"

 _Persephone, ready?_

 _It's easy for me. Punish her. But please be careful…_

He slit his hand with Persephone, and she began glowing a dark purple, though it mixed with hints of red. Lloyd's eyes glowed red, his vision becoming the same color. _Yes… this is the power… the uncontrollable power of an awoken Sacred Weapon…_

 _Thanks Lloyd… I needed some life force… now… now… we're invincible!_

"My my…" The Sylveon looked a little worried. "Okay, now you look like something!" She opened her mouth, and launched a Moonblast at him. "Eat this!"

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Lloyd felt someone shaking him. He expected it to be Sharl, but it was actually the young Umbreon. "Are you alright?"

He sat up, and quickly realized this was an artificial space, though it was not necessarily fake. "Persephone…" He rubbed his forehead. "Ugh… I lost it again, didn't I?"

"Yeah…"

"Huh… we won though, right?"

"Yeah. You're lucky that Kai regained consciousness… and… well, you'll see once you wake up. In short, the Sylveon is very lucky to be alive. So are you, I guess. We would have quite literally blended her to a pulp."

He rubbed his black hair. "Alright… I need to regain my strength here, right?"

"Kind of… I cut off our connection temporarily just to keep you from losing it. You were overwhelmed with my power."

"Sorry…"

She stood up, adjusting the ribbons in her long black hair. "You weren't filled with as much vengeful thoughts… are you alright?"

"I'm fine… just…"

The female Umbreon shook her head. "I've told you not to abuse that. If you aren't careful, you could very well become so close with me that you'll be sealed within the sword with me. I love you, but we don't want that."

He lay back down, sprawled out. "I'm sorry…"

She turned around, back facing him. "You're fine now. I worry for you, sometimes…"

Then Lloyd blinked, back into the waking world. _Damn… I've lost count of how many times I've passed out recently…_

Kai initially started out as a blurry shape that gradually came into focus. "Lloyd, you're awake. That's good."

"You're alright too. I thought you were dead for a little while." Lloyd couldn't really move too much, but this wasn't the first time this had happened.

"It's good to see you're fine." The Jolteon stood up.

Lloyd had begun to appreciate the Jolteon. True, they had all been cocky to each other when they first met, but they had acknowledged each others' skill. Lloyd really had panicked when Kai had been attacked, and it was only his years of training that kept him remotely calm at the moment of attack. "Thanks," said Lloyd. "I heard you stopped me…"

The Jolteon didn't seem too surprised. "Think nothing of it. It was the right thing to do."

"Where is she?"

"The Sylveon? She's still out. You stabbed her in the stomach… I don't know if she'll be alright."

"What happened? It's all blurry…"

"You were a maniac, glowing black and red. I had awoken just in time to see you stab her; I think her scream awoke me. I considered letting you maul her, and you threatened to skin her live. Then I couldn't bear it, and tackled you. You dropped your sword, and passed out."

"Where is she?"

"The Sy-"

"My sword."

"Oh. In the sheathe. It's still on your back."

"Thanks."

He walked away, likely to check on the Sylveon. Next to Lloyd was a small can of water, and Lloyd sipped it. _Where are Sharl and Elaine? Kai hasn't mentioned them… oh god, I can't let Sharl get hurt. I need to find her…_ But he was too weak at the moment. He'd need a couple of hours to recover from overusing Persephone. "So much for making it up to her…" Sharl was scrappy enough, but the Sylveon was abnormal. Her way of thinking was so backwards she had convinced Lloyd to use his secret weapon. It had nearly cost him everything… it may have cost the two princesses everything.

 _Hey… Lloyd. Don't worry about it._ Persephone's voice was in his head. _Whatever happens… well, it's not your fault._

 _Is it? Should I have been more alert? I promised to protect her… regardless, I failed._

 _Lloyd…_ The sword spirit was quiet afterwards. Lloyd could do nothing but look at the moonless sky. _I might be the most powerful Pokemon… but I couldn't even protect a self-confident princess._

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Lloyd was able to stand by the time morning came, but he was still very weak, and Kai ordered him to stay back. Lloyd knew he couldn't beat the Jolteon in his current state.

"You can watch the Sylveon."

Lloyd wanted to be useful while Kai looked for the girls, so now he sat next to the unconscious Sylveon that he nearly killed. He rested his hand on her forehead; she was burning up. He reached into his cloak, and pulled out some dried herbs he had picked up on his way to Sharl's city. Lloyd chewed it up to a paste, and put it on his fingers.

He gently opened her mouth and place it on her tongue. She didn't need to eat it, she just needed to absorb the juices from the mashed herbs.

Once he did that, he examined the wound he had made. It looked pretty nasty, and Lloyd felt a pang of shame for what he did. There probably was a way to defeat her without such a massive injury, but he had used his uncontrolled state.

The wound was centered, between her ribs and her belly button. Lloyd dipped his finger into the can of water, and gently began to clean the dried blood from around the terrible wound.

She flinched slightly, but her eyes didn't open. The Sylveon was rather young looking. She looked possibly the same age as Persephone, though it was hard to tell. He saw the fans she had used to cut up Kai and himself, and picked them up. He put it inside his cloak.

There was something that was unsettling about her, and he quickly decided it was not just her personality. Something was off about her, and he wanted to figure it out soon. He sensed it was extremely important.

He braced himself with Persephone, and pulled himself somewhat dizzily to his feet. "Shit," he murmured, before walking a little bit.

 _Be careful, Lloyd… you're still recovering._

"It's been almost the entire night. I should…"

 _Lloyd._ Her voice was stern in his head, but he chose to ignore it.

"I'm fine."

"You really should stop." Lloyd turned around. Much to his surprise, the Sylveon was sitting up. She yawned. "You don't look too good, Umbreon."

"You're one to talk. If you even think about attacking us…"

"You're alone. You're weakened. That would be easy… if I wasn't also crippled. So you're alright for now."

Lloyd huffed, then weakly walked back to where he had been earlier and sat down. "You're damn right. You don't have any weapons," he said, holding up the two fans. "I may be recovering, but I don't think I'd miss from here."

"Cool it, Umbreon. I'm not an idiot, and you were horrifying, so whatever, you can live."

"Now…" He drew Persephone and began to polish the sword. "Why did you kidnap the princesses? For money?"

She didn't say anything.

"Come one. Just spit it out. There's got to be something. Money… revenge… perhaps fun?"

"As if you'd know." She grimaced slightly, but rolled over. Lloyd was confused a little, but then he saw what she was showing him. On her back a patch of darker skin, marked as a circle with a line through it.

"Is that… that's a burn, isn't it?"

"Close. I served inside the Southern Capital for two years as a personal attendant to the previous king of the South. But before that, the king of the South killed my parents. In a vortex of orange flames…"

"My parents were killed in a fire too… but they were killed by the legendries."

"Legendries? Well…" She huffed. "Doesn't concern me. I was on my way to kill their current king Victor."

"Victor… I heard he gave himself that name because he never loses." _But Elaine did beat him._ "Surprise, I'm on my way to defeat him and take the gateway stones from him."

"You're stupider than I thought if you think you can defeat the legendries."

"Then I'll die a dumbass."

"Likely." She sighed. "You don't need to watch me. I'm fine. Go wash out those wounds or something."

He huffed, then said, "Where did you get that mark?"

"It's a brand."

Lloyd paused. "From the king?"

"Yeah. He marked me… for… reasons."

He stood up. "Whatever. Not my problem. What is my problem is where you put the princesses."

"Well…"

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 _Oh dear… this is very bad. Bug types aren't good for us, Lloyd._

"You don't need to tell me that." The Sylveon had agreed to heal Lloyd with her Wish technique.

 _"You spared me, we're even now," she reasoned after it. "Besides… I'll beat them with my own hands."_

 _"So… you know what, you're insane."_

"I still can't believe she left them in a spiders nest. What the fuck?"

 _Well… she is insane… you said it yourself. Just be grateful she's giving you a chance to save them._

"Spiders huh… I've got a really shitty feeling. Don't they drink blood?"

 _I believe so. Blood is quite nutritious though._

"Uh, no it's not. It has no nutritional value. At least my master said."

 _No, you're both wrong then._

"Kind of hard to believe coming from a dead girl…"

 _So mean… don't forget, I'm still the dead girl you banged…_

"It was part of the ritual."

 _It was still sex though… hehe._

"You're awfully keen about that for someone who was raped…"

 _Well, you're a handsome boy…_

"We're here, Persephone." Lloyd stood in front of the cave covered with spider webs. "I wonder if Kai found this place yet."

"I did." The Jolteon peered out from the cave, body glowing with electricity. "I knew you'd find me eventually, though you did take a little longer than I expected."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Let's go."

Webs spanned across, with moist air significantly warmer than the outside wafting out. It smelled like Lloyd expected webs to smell like. The sliminess seemed to seep out. A hissing noise followed by scuttling came from the cave, and they both froze. After that, Lloyd immediately panicked. The thought of Sharl being devoured scared him.

 _Don't you dare unleash my power. You're still not completely recovered, and you'll seal yourself with me._

 _Don't worry._ Lloyd clenched his teeth. _They won't see mercy. They don't have any feelings._

 _Well… they do… but go ahead. Look at these skulls on the ground. They've probably killed hundreds._ Lloyd sliced through the webs with Persephone. _This is kind of gross._

"These webs sure are thick." Next to him, Kai was using his dagger. "You dashed into here rather recklessly…"

"Aren't you worried for you sister?"

"Look out."

Lloyd didn't even turn around. He did a spinning slash that cut a Spinarak in half. "I sensed it."

"Not bad," he conceded. "But back on topic…" The Jolteon groaned as some blood from his earlier wound leaked.

"That looks pretty bad… are you sure you're okay?"

"It's pretty shallow, but it's just big. Anyways, your feelings for Sharl aren't sisterly though. Just be careful. Take this!" He launched a bolt of lightning, stunning a Joltik before impaling it. "Sorry thunder-type…"

Lloyd saw the final wall of webbing before a large opening, and assumed Sharl was there. "Stay back," he told Kai before launching a Dark Pulse that blew it open.

They both jumped into the open cave, but it was surprisingly empty aside from a few skeletons and some webs. Kai looked at Lloyd, then said, "Wait."

He put on his mask, and after charging up an attack, he launched a rising bolt straight upwards. Lloyd blinked as it illuminated a dozen of massive spider Pokemon, mostly Ariados.

And wrapped in the webs above were the two princesses.

Then Lloyd noticed a small pool of blood forming on the ground beneath them. _No… Sharl…_

 **Alright, just keep reading and reviewing! Don't forget to let me know you want me to keep writing by reviewing!**


	7. Chapter 7

**The Bells**

"Hey, if you're going to stop staring in horror, we'd love it if you'd actually do something… since we're kind of stuck."

Kai exhaled a sigh of relief as Elaine made the smart reply. "Same as ever, sister."

Lloyd jumped up in a rising slash, slicing through the webs. _Sharl…_ "Why is there blood?"

"They bit us a little, but surprisingly, they didn't drain us. They're probably waiting to eat us up later though."

Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the Espeon's voice. "Be careful. These webs are pretty… actually, you might want to hurry. They're looking hungry again…"

 _"You fools! You'll all pay for what you have done to our children!"_ The spider Pokemon were communicating with Psychic. _"You underestimate our power! You-"_

"Shut up." Lloyd cleanly cut the speaker Ariados in half with Persephone. He landed on a small rocky outcropping. "What a pushover, sheesh." Lloyd didn't even turn around; he knew that Kai had his back, and heard the shriek as another was fried. "Nice."

"No problem." Immediately, the Jolteon appeared next to him. "We'd better hurry. They're still up there…" A frozen chunk of ice fell from above, and the two of them jumped out of the way. It turned out to be a Galvatula that had been hit by an ice beam. "I guess there's not too much of a rush." They both jumped up.

"I'll save them, you work on clearing out the rest, agreed?"

"Sure." Kai immediately jumped away. "Thunderbolt." He said the words calmly, a blast erupting from his body. It arced cleanly towards each of the spiders, travelling through one to another.

Lloyd turned his focus to the girls. He could see them clearly now. Sharl was using her psychic powers to repel them, but there was only so much she could do without her primary weapon. A dark pulse at this range could be bad, especially for Sharl. He huffed, then held out his hand. "Double Team." He waved it casually, summoning his clone. "Let's go now!" He launched himself straight at the Galvantula ready to sink its teeth into Sharl. "She's mine!"

The moment he pierced it with his sword, he summoned a dark pulse, exploding it to bits. "You're not going to kill her!"

"We didn't need your help!" protested Elaine, before she was splattered with bits of bug type. "Eww…"

 _All right Lloyd, finish it off with some swordsmanship._

 _Of course. It's classy._ He whipped his blade around, jumping from wall to wall, dicing up the other two unfortunate bug types. He thrust it back into its sheathe, the bugs exploding.

"Show off," said Elaine, but Sharl just blushed.

"Thanks…" Lloyd flinched; both had some bite marks on their arm. _Too slow…_

"Are you two all right?"

"They started biting us, but luckily, you two came just in time to disrupt them. We were saving our energy for when we needed it, and- KYAAA! We're naked! Don't look!" Elaine failed at covering her breasts due to the stickiness of the webbing.

Lloyd hastily turned away. "Kai, are you okay?"

The Jolteon landed on the ledge next to him, blood staining his cloak. "Aside from the gash that damned Sylveon gave me, never better."

"Where's that bitch? I'm going to kill her!"

The Jolteon pulled off his mask, and said, "Are you two okay?"

"Yes, we're fine. Cut us out will you?"

In two clean slices, Kai freed his sister, who immediately crossed her arms over her chest. "Stop staring! It's creepy!" she complained to Lloyd.

Sharl was glaring at him. "Pervert."

Lloyd sighed, then freed the Espeon. "Sorry…"

Kai tossed them their clothes(when did he pick that up?) and the two girls demanded they look away while they change.

"Do you think she's going to come after us again?" asked Kai as they waited.

Lloyd thought, then said, "No." _She's crazy… but crazy enough to change on a whim. Actually, then she might actually come for us…_ "She's a crazy one. I talked with her."

"Huh."

"She's got a vendetta against all royalty, only that the South were the ones who enslaved and killed her family. So…"

"Not much different from you, eh? I think I get what Elaine's master meant when he talked to me…"

Lloyd wanted to ask, but Sharl tapped him on the shoulder. "We're all ready… eww…"

Despite the webs in her pretty pink hair, Lloyd smiled upon seeing Sharl was safe. He gently picked some of it out of her hair, and patted her head. "You can wash it out later."

"Hn… ha… okay…" She seemed caught off guard, and Lloyd chuckled.

Elaine nudged Sharl playfully, and Kai smirked. "Let's get out of this cave."

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"Y-y-you…"

"Hehe, it's surprising to see you two princesses are still alive."

"How stupid are you?" Lloyd could not believe that the Sylveon who kidnapped and nearly killed the two girls and Kai, while also nearly getting killed by Lloyd himself.

"How offensive… Ooh, quick!" The Sylveon nimbly jumped over a freezing shot from Elaine that was aimed at her feet.

"You'll pay for what you did! Humiliated by spiders… I'll show you humiliation!"

"Oh really?" She smiled wickedly, then threw her fan, shrouded in light.

Elaine dodged, but it opened her up to an attack. Lloyd thought she was going to get hit, but she protected herself.

"You can't use that move over and over and hope for success!"

 _She's still weak… she and Sharl need to recover from the blood lo-_

"Hey, no hurting my sister." The Sylveon froze, and Lloyd saw Kai behind her, dagger held to her neck. "Easy now. She attacked first, but you'll regret what you did."

She put her hands up in surrender. "I know. Which is why I'm surrendering. I can't beat all four of you, even weakened."

"That's good to hear. But we're not done with you." Sharl stepped forward. "It's only fitting that you pay with your dignity. And for this… you'll become a servant."

"As expected. The princess wants me to serve under her, like all royalty. How distasteful."

Elaine huffed. "How about one of the guys? They did prove they can defeat her. We've proved nothing from this encounter."

"No way I'm letting you serve under Lloyd…" grumbled Sharl.

"Is it because you want him to touch you and rub you and…"

"You'll serve under Kai."

The Sylveon nodded. "Understood. Well then… my master…"

"Wait, that's what I call my mentor… but it sounds so dirty… does it…"

"Kind of…" shrugged Sharl.

The Glaceon smiled gently. "Well… it's not uncommon for mentors and their apprentices to…"

"Excuse me, but you're assigning this Sylveon to be my slave? I can name hundreds of reasons why this is a terrible idea," pointed out Kai.

"I'll serve you faithfully, master. My body is yours to use as you see fit."

He shook his head. "She could run away easily."

"But she won't," said Lloyd. "She wants to defeat the South emperor. We'll probably help her. Besides, she's kind of unstable…"

"How offensive…"

"What's your name anyways? What should I call you?" asked Kai.

"You can call me slave. Of course, I'll ditch you all once I either defeat the princesses or kill Victor."

"If you wanted to kill us, why didn't you do it earlier?"

"I don't know." She shrugged.

Kai sighed. "No really, what's your name?"

"You can call me Celia. That's the name given to me by the king, and that's the name I'll have my revenge by."

Lloyd thought about it. _Hmm… Celia… never heard that name before, but there's something about it._ "Alright. I'll probably kill you next time you attack us, so don't even think about it."

"Yeah, sure. Don't get cocky since you beat me once. It was lucky."

"You know very well it wasn't luck."

They had a staredown before she sighed and sat behind Kai. "Whatever."

Lloyd sat down, and felt Sharl come down next to him. "Hey."

"What is it?"

The Espeon looked at him seriously, then said, "Thanks… for saving me. Had you come a few moments later, things might have been bad. But you came for me. And… thanks."

"You're my friend… no… maybe more." Lloyd felt himself blush a little.

"R-really? I mean, we've gotten a little lovey… but it's nice to hear you say that."

"Before this goes any further, I'm still here, hehe." Elaine giggled from a rock. "You lucky girl, Sharl!"

Lloyd gently nudged her away. "We can cuddle up tonight if you like."

"Okay."

The Glaceon looked ready to explode. "You two are so adorable!"

"Shut up," murmured Sharl. "I will give you so much shit when you find a guy."

"I know." She crossed her legs. "You two are such a cute couple."

Lloyd huffed. "Whatever. How are your bites?"

"All right," murmured Elaine. "No poison or anything, which is surprising."

Sharl rubbed her shoulder. "I think it's designed to be low pain. It's more disturbing than anything." She shuddered.

"Feeling weak?"

"Not really."

Elaine nodded as well. "I'm all right." She looked to the sun rising in the East. "My master has agreed to reveal himself to you there."

"So he is in the Eastern capitol."

"He's a personal attendant of master Leviathan. He said I could tell you that."

Lloyd frowned. "Just an attendant? I don't think just an attendant could best me."

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"All right… I'll admit, I was not expecting… this."

A massive gate loomed in front of them. It seemed to be made of metal that glinted blueish. Along the middle and top ran massive glass pipes; Lloyd noted that they were filled with water.

The Western capitol had a large stone wall, but this was a high-tech marvel it seemed. It stretched along the entire coast. "This is very impressive…"

The five eons all stared at it in shock. _How surprising… this is sometime that I never expected to see._

"How does it open?" asked Celia.

"I'd assume it works with those water pipes," explained Sharl. "The water flows through, and… and maybe it pushes against the locks? Though I assume that they are probably massive metal beams keeping it in place."

A hissing sound came from behind the gate, and Lloyd held his arm in front of Sharl. "Stay back. That sounds like a dragon type preparing to breathe fire." Then a blast of steam shot out as the gate opened, and Lloyd covered his face with his other hand.

"Ah, that's warm…" murmured Elaine.

Then finally, the steam dissipated, revealing the inside of the city.

"You folks there! Come on in! You've been expected by master Leviathan!"

Lloyd couldn't make out the Pokemon speaking, but it sounded as if it came from the top of the wall. It was also high pitched. "I guess we need to trust the squeaky Pokemon?" commented Kai.

Elaine stepped forward first. "I suppose. Well, what are we waiting for?"

The town inside was surprisingly peaceful. Small little waterwheels turned slowly, and in the distance, the ocean lay peacefully. Houses were quaint, and the salty sea wind blew through. Above, Pelippers and Wingulls flew tranquilly.

Lloyd had never quite been in a place like this. It was so laid back. No wonder the Eastern kingdom was so mysterious; it was the most relaxing place he had ever been to. Cobblestone roads were neither filled nor barren, with the occasional cart selling things. Children chased some balls into the streets, screaming happily.

"This place is amazing!" gasped Sharl. "I… I can't believe there is a place like this around! There's so much sun, and it's so warm, and there's so much going on, but it's still peaceful!" She yawned a little. "It's making me tired."

Celia was already at one of the stands, buying something that looked like a necklace. Kai turned to Elaine. "Where is your master?"

"He's waiting at the monastery… on the top of a large cliff. He said it's at the Southern end of the city…"

A large green hill sort of blocked the view of the Southern tip. "This place is massive," commented Kai. "So many houses and everything. For a Pokemon said to be extremely destructive, master Leviathan sure knows how to run this community."

"Even more unusual since he supposedly can't leave water. But he is a master tactician. I would not be surprised if this is his work."

Lloyd sat down at a stone fountain in a small town square. The fountain looked fairly old, but Lloyd didn't really pay much attention to the design. Water poured out of the top of a stone Pokemon's mouth. Lloyd exhaled. He didn't like this environment. It made him relax unknowingly.

 _Sheesh, this atmosphere is making me relax too._ Persephone yawned.

"I'm feeling sleepy…" murmured Sharl. "I couldn't really sleep last night… damn spiders…"

He rubbed her head gently. "I hope the blood loss isn't hitting you…"

"Don't need your help… just sleepy."

 _The sun should be making her more energetic… but apparently not._ Lloyd exhaled, then picked up the Espeon, one arm resting under her knees and the other behind her shoulder. "We'll find a place where you can take a nap."

"Alright, Lloyd." She was limp, and Lloyd thought she did look rather cute all sleepy and all. "You can kiss me when I sleep. I don't mind. Just let me rest."

He sighed. "You're always so flirty."

"Hehe…"

Lloyd was feeling rather tired, but not much more than normal. He suspected it was due to the strong sunlight. "You're kind of heavy."

"Are you calling me fat?"

"No. But you're heavy."

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Lloyd, Kai, and Celia walked through the shops along the road.

"Aren't you sleepy?" asked Kai.

"My master needs me. I'm not really that sleepy compared to those two. I slept well thanks to Lloyd." The two girls were sleeping back at the room they had decided to stay at.

Kai tucked his hands into his pocket. "So you really are determined to be my servant."

"Of course! You will all help me achieve my goal!"

"You cut me up badly."

"And you still got up and helped me. So I am in your debt."

He clicked his tongue. "How old are you?"

"I am 16!"

"You're pretty young."

"You're not that old either."

"I'm three years older than you."

They continued arguing, but Lloyd didn't pay attention to the rest of their conversation. He was looking at a small ruby necklace one of the vendors were selling. _It's pretty. I…_ Lloyd had more than enough money for a few years worth. _I suppose…_ He hesitated. _Well, she is a princess. She could probably buy it… or maybe she already has a few._ Then he shook his head. "I'll just get it for her." He handed over the small pieces of gold, to which the vendor opened his eyes and bowed slightly before handing over the necklace.

"Thank you so much!"

Lloyd waved it off, then smiled before heading back to the other two. He had gotten some golf from his master as a parting gift. _Wherever your travels take you, I approve of it._ He didn't think his master would approve of buying a pretty Espeon a necklace, but he decided that something small like this didn't really matter that much.

He heard someone walk close. "Ooh, who is that for?" Celia was looking over his shoulder.

"It's for Sharl."

"That's really pretty. It's a ruby! Oh, I'd love to get a ruby! They're signs of love and all…" She sighed. "Oh well, I don't have anyone that would get me a ruby."

Lloyd sighed. "You're too young to understand."

She pouted. "I'm 16 you know. Only a year younger than princess Sharl and you're openly courting her."

"Sharl's a lot more developed than you. You could pass for a 13 year old. Sharl looks like someone older than 17."

"Hmph. I know I'm not as well endowed, but that's offensive."

Kai walked a little bit behind them. "You two are getting along."

Celia smiled. "I can respect strong Pokemon like yourselves. Especially since you saved me from Lloyd."

"That's nothing. It's nice to be acknowledged."

"You're welcome, Master Kai."

Lloyd slowed down to walk next to the Jolteon. "I must say, this town is making me put my guard down. It's so laid back and peaceful."

He grunted in agreement. "This sun… I'm surprised you're so calm. I'd think a dark type like you would be more jittery."

Lloyd shrugged. "It's warm kind of. This place just has a relaxed atmosphere."

"Huh, I know what you mean. It's almost too peaceful." Kai turned to an Audino next to them. "Have you ever met lord Leviathan at the palace?"

"Lord Leviathan? No. Lord Leviathan lives in the ocean, meaning that those with the ability to swim are the only ones who can actually contact him directly." She shrugged. "We have no need to see him. He protects our city from storms, enemies, and promoted the building of the cobalt wall."

"I see…" murmured the Jolteon. "Thank you." Kai turned back to Lloyd. "Master Leviathan obviously doesn't like those who come to see him. According to the citizens, nobody really knows where he is. Even the monastery doesn't really seem like a guarantee if we're looking for him."

"What do you suggest?" Celia butted in, and Lloyd hadn't realized she was paying close attention. "I think we should try find that guy you were talking about master Kai."

"Mhmm, that's a good idea. Now, where to find that guy…"

"Probably the shrine right?" Lloyd knew that the shrine was a large part of the city. "They all talk about that shrine being pretty much the capitol of the city. It's a smart decision to go there first."

Kai nodded. "Yeah, once we're done shopping and stuff, we can go to pick up the two princesses…"

Lloyd frowned. "Actually, I was thinking we let them rest a little bit more." He rubbed his left arm. "They'll need some time to regain blood."

The Jolteon looked at Lloyd a little funny, then said, "All right, you go check on them. I'll look for directions, and Celia can… do whatever kids do alone in the city. Here, you want some money?"

Celia frowned. "Don't treat me like a kid! I'm not a kid!"

Lloyd turned around. "Okay, I'll start going back. Uhh… good luck."

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When Lloyd arrived back, the two princesses were seemingly sleeping. However, when Lloyd approached, Elaine sat up groggily. "Hey Lloyd. How are you?"

"I'm all right. You?"

"Yeah, just drowsy. Sheesh, blood is pretty important isn't it?"

"Not at all… it's not infected, is it?"

She rubbed her shoulder. "Not really. A little itchy, but the mashed leaves you applied to it is definitely soothing."

Lloyd nodded. "Mint and lum. Lum is hard to come by, but I keep some around. Works for pretty much any status."

"Thanks…" She yawned, then said, "What's in your cloak?"

"Eh? How…"

"You keep sticking your hand in there. There must be something important there."

Lloyd pulled out the ruby necklace. "It's this."

Elaine covered her mouth as she squeaked. "Oh my, that's beautiful! It's for Sharl right?"

"Err, yeah. It's something I thought that she'd like." He sat next to her on the bed.

Elaine giggled. "You two are so adorable. I hope that you two get married or something."

Lloyd shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, well… I thought that she'd like it. She will right?"

"She'll love it. You're lucky that Sharl likes you. She's never seemed interested in someone before now."

Lloyd had only talked with Elaine once before alone. "Have you ever been in love?"

Elaine smiled. "When I was 8, I was in love with Kai. Of course, when I turned ten, then I realized how wrong that was."

He chuckled. "Good thing."

"Sharl told me about your two sisters. I'm… I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

She looked at him, then said, "I think I should warn you about my master. I'm sure you know about Asterion, but… I ask for all of our sakes that you do not challenge him."

"Why shouldn't I? It's just going to be a match, then he'll take us to meet his master."

"But both of you insist on giving your all. You will get hurt doing that, I guarantee."

Lloyd narrowed his eyes. "You're hiding a lot of information about me. You know exactly who and what he is. If it's that important, you should tell me." He didn't want to threaten her, but he definitely added an edge to his words.

She was quiet. "You're not going to change your mind, are you?" The Glaceon sighed. "So be it. This is your decision anyways."

Lloyd stood up, then said, "If you won't tell me, then I'll find him."

"But-"

"I'll give this to Sharl later. And don't worry, I'll just talk with him if I see him."

Elaine shook her head slightly, then said, "You'll probably find him at the shrine. He's probably…"

Lloyd stood up. "Thank you, princess. I will be back by tomorrow morning."

"Oh, okay. Just… be careful."

Lloyd stopped next to Sharl, who was still sleeping. He rested a hand on her cheek gently before walking out.

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Lloyd sat on the top of a large tower-like structure, one of the highest around. He chewed on a piece of dried fish. The wind blew his cloak around, and he spat a bone over the side, then pulled himself up before brushing off some bits of the food.

On the Southern end of the town was a tall cliff, and at the top was an impressive looking building. It looked like some sort of monastery, white against the orange sea. The sun was setting in the opposite direction, casting an eerie yet still beautiful scene. He stretched his arms, then looked at the sleeping Slakoth that was going to ring the bell. He had been sleeping since Lloyd had gotten up here.

Lloyd climbed down the small ladder, before jumping down flight by flight, ignoring the stairs. Not only was it quicker; it also tested his coordination. He laughed a little, his voice echoing throughout the tower.

When he finally made it down, he chuckled. "That was fun."

"I can tell."

Lloyd looked up in surprise, then blinked. "What are you?"

Floating in front of him was a blob of blue; he couldn't tell if it was liquid or gas or perhaps some pure energy. It had a soft voice, though Lloyd could tell it was male. "Me? I'm pure energy. A life that has died. Only those wielding a spirit themselves should be able to see me."

Lloyd drew Persephone. _Persephone, what is this?_

 _It's…_ She sounded confused. _It's not unlike me. But rather than…_

"I choose not to form into my actual form here, simply because of how infamous I was. You'd recognize me, and everything would be a mess. Princess Persephone, it's an honor."

 _Hmph. So you're a sealed spirit too. Who's controlling you?_

"I assume you'd like to meet him, no?" The blue energy spirit moved through the street. "Follow me. Quickly now."

Lloyd tucked Persephone back, since the spirit wouldn't be able to harm him directly without a direct command. There was nobody interesting around, so Lloyd followed. "A sealed spirit. You're obviously Asterion, no?"

"Most impressive, Lloyd." The wisp didn't slow down. "I am in fact Asterion, the oldest of the 10 sacred weapons."

"A Pokemon whose true species has been lost in time. Yet your ability to seal yourself within that weapon, a chain capable of becoming both solid and liquid... how interesting."

Lloyd was surprised to see that they weren't heading to the building he had seen earlier, but rather the beach. He climbed down the steep cliff to the beach below. "You should be careful." By now, the sun had almost completely set, and night was starting to set in.

Once he made it down, the wisp led him left, until they came to a large cave. "This is ominous," commented Lloyd. "What's he doing in a place like this?"

Lloyd stepped in, then turned around. "What the… the wisp is gone…" He made the rings on his skin glow weakly to help him see. The cave smelled salty like seaweed, and there was water flowing through. A large pool rested in the middle of the cave. He held out Persephone. "Whoever's there, you'd better show yourself."

A small bubbling came from the center of the pool. _So master Leviathan will show himself._ Then he emerged; head of the massive sea serpent only. His eyes were narrowed. "Well well…" he hissed quietly, in a voice that seemed a lot more intelligent than he had expected. Yet the Pokemon still gave off an aura of intense raw strength.

Lloyd saw the masked Pokemon watching from a ledge.

"Master Leviathan." Lloyd bowed slightly.

"Umbreon… yes, I've been told about you by my assistant." Mist poured from his mouth. "What do you want?"

"The ruler stones. We intend to challenge those who are-"

"I cannot allow you to challenge the legendries." He said it sternly, ripples of water emanating from the massive dragon-like Pokemon. "Now, begone."

"Wait." But it was too late. He was already dipping beneath the surface. The bubbles didn't stop for awhile. "Well, that was quite unhelpful."

The other Pokemon jumped down from the ledge. "Lloyd. It's good to see you in one piece."

"You as well." Lloyd was rather ticked off, but he had promised Elaine he wouldn't do anything rash. "Your master didn't even mention giving me a chance."

He shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it. I'm only able to do so much. It's not like I have Sharl's psychic powers."

"Shame." Lloyd exhaled.

"You know, did you feel it yet? You already look different."

Lloyd froze. "Feel what?"

The other Pokemon tapped his mask. "It's faded a little. You're not as aggressive. Perhaps Sharl is good for you."

"You… you mentioned protecting someone is what changed you. I understand you in that case." Hesitantly, he said, "Yes, Sharl has affected me."

"I saw your group enter the gates. Is she all right?"

"She and Elaine were attacked by spiders. They lost some blood, but they're okay."

He tipped his head, though Lloyd couldn't tell whether it was in respect or something else. "Well then." He jumped down, then walked past Lloyd before stopping. "I'll take my leave." He rested his hand on the Umbreon's shoulder. "You won't find him here again tomorrow. Perhaps if the other two princesses are here, he might listen more."

"Is that really true though? He sounded like he knew exactly who I was."

The other Pokemon was quiet, then continued to walk out the cave, footsteps sloshing around in the water.

Lloyd finally turned around. He smirked. _Gotcha._

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"Hmph, I can't believe you left me! Making me wait."

Lloyd sighed. "I'm sorry." Sharl was waiting at a table in the front of the inn they had rested at. She was drinking something.

"Where were you, anyways?" She crossed her arms. "Elaine said I should wait for you… it's almost midnight now!"

Lloyd leaned over, then sat at the seat across from her. "I'm sorry."

"It's rare to hear you apologize." Looking away, she added, "I worry for you, sometimes. I hope you didn't try taking down Leviathan. At least alone."

"I didn't try attacking him." Lloyd reached into his cloak. He gripped the necklace, then tossed it to her.

She caught it awkwardly, clearly unexpected. "What is this?"

"What do you think it is?" A Pokemon awkwardly brought Lloyd a glass of water, which he sipped at thoughtfully. "So what do you think?"

She was silent, then said, "It's… it's beautiful." She looked at him, blushing slightly. "Did you really get this for me?"

"Yeah. It's just something that I got without thinking too much really. Well, I mean, I did think about you a little bit. I mean, we already cleared that up sort of, a few nights back, no?"

"I know. Thanks Lloyd."

Lloyd stared out at the seaside town, lit beautifully below the inn. "The town's pretty, isn't it?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. It… it's a really beautiful place." She brushed her hair, and Lloyd felt himself smile.

"Sharl… this might sound rather arrogant…"

She looked up at him, a little surprised. "Coming from mister confidence himself? Go on."

"Well… Elaine mentioned you had suitors before. A pretty Espeon like you could have lived a safe life. Instead, you're putting your life on the line to save my ass-"

"You saved me last time, so you're not completely useless."

He shook his head. "But… well, you get it. Why risk everything you've got? I've got nothing. You could have just handed me the stones instead of agreeing to come with me."

She adjusted her cup a little. "My mother taught me many things. One of them was the fact that things happen for a reason, no exceptions." Hesitantly, she continued. "You did defeat me… and I believe it happened for a reason. You and me… we're supposed to be together."

"I agree completely." Lloyd looked up thoughtfully. "Perhaps we're understanding one another better than we realized. Though I don't believe in destiny."

"You just slashed the mood, you know that?" She sighed, then stood up. "Let's get to bed."

Lloyd was amused. "Hehe, you really are a cutie when you pout."

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child!" she huffed. "You're only one year older than me!"

"Don't forget your chest is far from a child's…"

"And you say I'm the pervert!"

"I guess we're both then?" He swiftly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a kiss, remembering the masked Pokemon's words.

She whimpered slightly as their lips met. "What's up with you all of a sudden?"

Lloyd picked her up. "Come on, I'll carry you."

"Oh my…" The Espeon was so shocked that she didn't speak as Lloyd carried her into the room.

 _Hehe… you still don't know romance, huh?_

 _Shut up…_ Lloyd had forgotten that she could read his mind with physical contact.

 _Sorry._ She telekinetically opened the door, and he put her onto the bed.

"Are we… going to… have… sex?" she asked him, extremely embarrassed.

He blinked. "Uh, I wasn't going to do that. I thought we were just going to sleep. Besides…" He motioned to Kai sitting on a chair, looking at them suspiciously, and Elaine, who was sitting on the bed, peering excitedly over a book. Celia was sleeping on the bed next to Elaine.

"Oh…" She looked away. "That's… a relief… it's not like I wanted that…"

"Oh really?" giggled Elaine.

"Sh-shut up…"

Kai stood up, then stretched. "In that case, we should get to sleep. You do plan to challenge Leviathan tomorrow, no?"

Lloyd smiled slightly. "Yes. Yes I do."

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"You called me, master?" Elaine pulled back the cloak she had used to cover herself as she had snuck out of the inn.

Lloyd and Sharl had cuddled up cutely; Elaine was admittedly envious of their relationship, though she was happy for her friend as well. Her brother had fallen asleep in the chair, while Celia hadn't awoken when Elaine had left their bed. But she had to ignore her feelings for now. _"He"_ had requested that she come to the sea shrine. He stood in front of her, back towards Elaine.

"Thank you."

Elaine walked next to him to see what he was looking at; a massive pool of water, unmoving. "What are you looking at, master?"

Much to her surprise, his face was uncovered. It had caught her massively off guard when he had revealed who he was, but she was still shocked every time she saw him. She never would have expected it. He turned to her, then said, "Let me ask you something."

"Yes?"

He looked back at the pool, eyes, reflecting the still water as his personality did. He had been the one to save her more than once, and had helped push her more than anyone else had previously. He never lost his temper with her either. "I know I told you my true identity."

"Yes. Don't worry, I didn't give them anything."

"I know. And I'm grateful for that."

"Yes. I-"

He cut her off. "I just wanted you to know." He shook his head. "Elaine... you're going to have to forgive me for what happens next."

"What do you mean?" The massive whip came swinging out, and Elaine barely avoided the attack. "What are you doing?!"

"There's something extremely important that I need you for, but you won't agree to it."

"I'm sure we can reach an agreement!" _Shit… he's too close for me to use my arrows._ She opened her mouth to launch an Ice Beam, but she couldn't see him. She closed her mouth, and spun around. _Oh god…_ She felt her heart pounding. She knew the damage he could do. She couldn't defeat him at this range, and even with distance, it was doubtful. "What… what do you need me for?" She notched a frozen arrow on Lucia.

"I need you… for the prophecy." Then out of the water erupted the Gyarados. His eyes were blue, his scales seemingly made out of water.

He looked down at her, and Elaine froze. _Oh… that's… that's… huge._

She jumped out of the way as the Gyarados launched a blast of water. The force was still enough to unbalance her, and she landed awkwardly. "Nngh…" She had dropped her bow, and felt a bruise on her ribs. "Master… please… tell him to stop!"

The Gyarados paused, and he slowly walked over to her. "Princess Elaine… I am going to need you to agree to whatever I tell you. Do you promise this?"

"I… I do."

She hadn't noticed the whip slowly slithering towards her, as if it had a mind of its own. It had already wrapped itself around her right ankle, and slowly worked its way up. "Forgive me."

"S-stop!" But she was not able to move. She could feel it, draining her of her strength. "What… is this?" She fell to her knees, weak. In all her years of training with him, she had never felt this before. "I…"

"Asterion is the sealer, created to be the counter to all of the sacred weapons. Obviously, the chain's power extends beyond that."

Her vision was becoming blurry now. As she passed out, all she saw were the eyes that reminded her of her own.

 **Alright, please read and review! Thanks!**


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